Power Rangers In Space: Love And War
by 412816
Summary: Formerly "Power Rangers in Space" Dark Specter has almost complete control of the galaxy and it is up to the Astro rangers to save the galaxy from evil
1. Astronema

A/N – I do not own Power Rangers, I believe Disney currently holds all rights to Power Rangers, and therefore, are the owners. But man, I wish I owned Power Rangers.

I hope you like this first chapter enough to read the second chapter…where it gets better. This fanfic is intended to be a little, if not quite dark, but not as dark as Battlestar Galactica or 24. Speaking of 24, I'm kind of modeling Andros after Jack Bauer. Just give me a chance.

The plan I have for this fanfic, is to take some of the most important elements of PRIS, story arc-wise, like Karone's kidnapping, Zhane waking up, and of course, Andros and Ashley hooking up. I hope you all enjoy the fic, so enjoy everyone.

Summary – AU - The Rangers must save the universe by rescuing Zordon, and defeating Dark Spector as well as his evil forces.

* * *

"Make way! Queen of evil coming through". Divatox said loudly as she pushed away all those in her way.

"Yeah! Make way for my Auntie D!" said Elgar as he followed Divatox into a large room.

The space pirates made their way into a large, dimly lit room, filled with the great evils of the universe. Some of those in attendance were Rita Repulsa and her husband, Lord Zed. It was also filled with everyone's minions: Piranatrons, silly putties, and a new group. Their faces resembled ants, and they were dressed in silver, while some had a bit of black added.

"So then, I just used this finger, pushed one little button, and then destroyed the Power Rangers!" Divatox bragged. "Elgar, go get me a drink."

"Yes Auntie D!" Elgar replied as he went off to get a drink. On his way, he bumped into someone in a cloak.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" Elgar said to the cloaked person. Instead of saying anything, the cloaked person simply walked away.

"What nerve! Why I ought to…"

"Elgar! Where's that drink?!" Divatox shouted.

Before Elgar could respond, the large view screen that was opposite to the entrance doors, activated, displayed a monster made of, what seemed to be, lava and rocks.

Everyone in the room immediately turned their attention to the viewscreen.

"I, Dark Spector, have captured Zordon!" the best proclaimed. Everyone cheered.

"My successor has also recently taken the planet Eltar. Now there is no hope for the galaxy."

"Excuse me, Dark Spector." Divatox said as she tried to get his attention by spacing herself from everyone else. "But who might this successor be?"

"I shall reveal her now. Come forth Astronema, princess of evil." Dark Spector commanded. From the shadows, on the right of the view screen, a tall, slender woman stepped out. She wore a tight black outfit, had purple hair, and held a staff with a diamond shaped tip. She was escorted by a polygonic figure with green lines and red eyes.

"I am Astronema. And this is my personal guard, Ecliptor." She said proudly.

Divatox slowly walked up to Astronema. "What makes you good enough to be Dark Spector's successor?" She asked.

"I captured the planet Eltar, the Karovan system, and many other planets. What have you done?"

"Well, obviously you haven't heard. I defeated Power Rangers. I destroyed their command center, and with it, their power. And all I had to do was press a little button. I did what Rita and Zed couldn't, and I did it easily." Divatox boasted again.

"But you didn't kill them. And if you defeated the Power Rangers, then why is there a Power Ranger in this room right now?" Astronema asked.

"What are you talking about? There are no more power rangers!" Divatox replied angrily.

Astronema pointed her staff at the cloaked person and fired a bolt of lighting, but missed.

"Quantrons! Get him!" she commanded. Ecliptor walked over while the minions, as well as Elgar, Goldar, and Lord Zed moved in to attack. Elgar swung his sword at the cloaked person, but was blocked by a spiraled sword. From behind, Goldar pulled the cape off, which revealed a red Ranger.

The red ranger pulled out his blaster, pointed it at Astronema and fired, but she deflected the shot with her weapon. He saw another sword swing from his left and rolled out of the way. He kicked two Quantrons that charged towards him, and fired two more shots at Astronema, but both were deflected again. Then his sword and blaster were knocked out of his hands, and two quantrons grabbed his arms. From behind, Goldar kicked the ranger in the back of his knees, forcing him to kneel. It seemed as though the battle was won, and the ranger's fate had been sealed. Astronema walked over to the ranger, with a victorious smirk on her face.

"I didn't think the Red ranger would be so stupid to come here alone."

"I may be alone, but I didn't come unprepared."

BOOM! There was a explosion on the left side of the room, which exposed to the room to the outside environment, a dark, cold planet.

The ranger used that explosion as a distraction to free himself by quickly standing up and kicking the quantrons holding him away.

"Galaxy glider! Hang ten!" He shouted. He jumped over Astronema and ran towards the part of the room that had just exploded. A red hoverboard appeared, and the ranger jumped on, then flew away before anyone could shoot him down.

"Get him!" Astronema commanded. Then, there was another explosion. It was opposite of where the first explosion had been. Astronema was thrown off her feet from the force of the explosion.

"Are you alright my princess?" Ecliptor asked as he helped her get up. She had a very angry look on her face. "I'm going to kill him. Slowly and painfully."

* * *

A/N – I hope you liked it enough to stick around for a few more chapters, preferably the end of the fanfic. Bear with me; this is just the first chapter, and I haven't written a story in years. Like it or hate it, please review. I hope you read the next chapter.


	2. Intruders

A/N – I just rewatched the finale of Turbo for the research. So glad I didn't post this til after. Thank you reviewers for reviewing. I think I might be changing the title later. We'll see. Also, no one is safe from character death. bwahahahaha.

Please review again, and share with your fellow A/A fans. I want more reviews :p

* * *

The four former Turbo rangers looked out into space from one of the few windows that were installed in the shuttle.

"Wow. I've never seen anything like this." Said T.J, the leader.

"Yeah. Hey, how much longer until we reach the Cimmerian planet?" asked Cassie.

"Um, let's see." Said T.J. as he went over to the navigation display monitor.

"Well, it looks like we've…" T.J. began to say before he was interrupted by a rumble. The four rangers looked around with a worried look on their faces.

"What was that?" Ashley asked.

"I don't know, but I've got a bad feeling." Said Carlos. "Any idea what that might be, Alpha?"

Before the robot could answer, the ship came to a quick stop, causing its riders to fall over.

"Ow. What just happened?" asked Cassie as she and Ashley helped Alpha get up.

Carlos looked out the window while T.J. checked the controls. "It looks like we just dropped out of hyperspace." T.J. said.

"Yeah. Look outside, the stars aren't streaking past us anymore." Said Carlos. The other rangers looked outside. T.J. made his way back to the controls.

"Uh, guys. I think we have a problem." T.J. reported.

"What's wrong?" Cassie asked.

"Well, it says here that the hyperspace engine is nonfunctional." T.J. explained.

"What does that mean?" Ashley asked.

"It means if we can't fix the engine, then we might be really old by the time we make it to Eltar." T.J explained.

"Wait, what about Alpha? Can't he fix it?" Carlos asked. All the rangers looked to Alpha.

"hark uh bua dum." Said Alpha.

"What? What's wrong with Alpha?" Cassie asked.

Carlos walked behind Alpha, and opened up his back, which revealed several wires and chips. He saw one that was black. "Looks like his speech circuit is fried." Then a beeping sound started emitting.

"What now?" T.J. looked at the various monitors to try to find out what was going on. He looked at the radar and found a dot in the radar.

"Uh… guys, I think we might have some company." T.J. said in a slightly worried tone.

Ashley looked outside the left window and saw a big ship coming towards the shuttle. "Uh T.J., any chance that "company" could be a really big ship headed towards us?" she asked as she pointed out the window. T.J put on a radio piece and pressed a few buttons.

"Unidentified ship, this is the shuttle. You're on a collision course. Please change course. I repeat, change course"

"What? A collision course?" What if the ship doesn't…" before Carlos could finish his sentence, the ship rumbled again. The crew looked outside and noticed that they had come to a dead stop, and they were turning right.

"What's happening?" Cassie asked.

They lost sight of the big ship. "Oh no." T.J. said. "It's so close. It's going to hit us any minute now!"

The Astro megaship opened up its front section, revealing a docking bay like area. It activated its tractor beam and used it to turn the shuttle to the right so that the shuttle would be able to get into the megaship. Then the ship stopped and used its tractor beam to pull the shuttle in.

As the megaship pulled the shuttle in, the rangers finally saw parts of the megaship on both sides of the window.

"I think we're being pulled in." T.J. said to everyone.

The rangers felt another little rumble and then heard the door make a hissing sound. They all moved towards the door. T.J pressed some buttons on the door control. The door opened, and the rangers, as well as Alpha, stepped out of the shuttle and into the Astro Megaship.

They walked through the halls, amazed by the ship. "Hello? Is anyone here?" T.J. called out. "Maybe we should split up, cover more ground." T.J. went with Ashley while Cassie went with Carlos.

The Red Ranger had escaped from the clutches of Astronema. He was pursued by Velocifighters, but managed to shoot them down. He saw a large blue ship drifting in space.

"That's odd. I left the megaship in Orbit…" the ranger said out loud. "Deca," He called out. "Are there any lifesigns on board the ship?"

"Four." Deca reported.

"Alright. I'm coming in. Open airlock C7." The ranger commanded.

"Affirmative."

* * *

Carlos and Cassie made their way into the mess hall. Carlos noticed the clear board with dots, which looked like planets. Cassie walked to the synthetron and examined it. She knew she shouldn't press any buttons, but gave into temptation and pressed one.

"Woah, Carlos, look! If you press a button, it makes food appear out of thin air! It's like the ultimate vending machine!" Cassie said excitedly.

Carlos continued to look around while Cassie helped herself to the food she ordered from the Synthetron. As Carlos looked around, his eyes stumbled on a plate with bits of food left. He went over to examine it. It was cold, but not too cold.

"Looks like someone ate here a while ago." Carlos said to Cassie. "C'mon, we should go meet up with Ashley and…"

Carlos was hit with a blast from out of nowhere and fell unconscious. "Carlos!" Cassie yelled out as she rushed to help him. However, as soon as she got close to the door, she saw a red ranger with his blaster pointed at her. Before she could react, the ranger shot her and she fell unconscious as well.

* * *

Alpha, Ashley and T.J found their way to the quarters that were on the ship. They checked each quarter one by one. The first and second rooms that Ashley checked were empty, as were the three that T.J. and Alpha checked. The last room however, wasn't empty. It looked like all the other rooms, but it had someone's personal belongs in it. Ashley slowly walked it, looking around the room. She picked up two photos from next to the bed. One was of a little blonde girl, while the other was of a guy around her age. He had short, very light hair..

"Hey Ashley, find anything?" T.J. asked from the door.

"Yeah. Looks like someone really does live here."

"C'mon. Let's see if we can find the bridge." T.J. said.

Ashley, Alpha and T.J. made their way up to the next deck, and found the bridge.

"Wow. This place is amazing." Said T.J. in awe. Ashley took at seat and remained in awe of the bridge while T.J. stood next to her, trying to figure out how to operate the ship. Alspha walked over to the right, to access the ship's systems.

"T.J. I don't think you should be pressing those buttons." Ashley warned.

"Why? What could happen?" T.J. asked.

"Well, you could accidentally activate the self-destruct."

"Good point." T.J. agreed as he pulled his fingers away from the controls. "Hey Ashley, I'm going to find Cassie and Carlos, you stay here with Alpha."

"All right." Ashley replied. As T.J. went to the door, it opened and on the other side was the Red Ranger, with a blaster in his hand. Before T.J. could answer, the Red Ranger kicked him, sending T.J. flying back, onto the floor, before he was shot.

"Wai…" before Ashley could tell the Ranger that she and T.J. were not the enemy, she began to quickly lose feeling all around her body. All she could do was watch everything turn dark before she fell.

* * *

Hope you guys liked it enough to stick around for the next chapter.


	3. Andros

A/N - Aw, only 6 reviews so far. :( share with A/A fans you know guys. I hope the name change hasn't confused you guys. And I really hope you guys don't mind character death, cause I'm writing a future chapter and I'm not sure if I should kill of a character or not ^^'

Jasonscottleefan, lunarfairyprincess, you guys rock. THanks for the reviews, and thanks for reading.

* * *

Ashley slowly opened her eyes. As soon as she was aware of her conscious state, her head shot up. She tried to move, but she couldn't. She looked down and realized that her feet were bound, and her wrists were strapped onto the chair that she was sitting on. She examined her surroundings. It was one of the rooms that she searched when she was in the living quarter's section of the ship, and it was dark, but not pitch black. The room had been barely illuminated by the sunlight which barely shined into the room. Then the door opened, and there stood a person.

"Deca, lights." Said the person. The lights turned on and revealed a red ranger. Ashley was shocked.

"You're a ranger!" she said. The ranger grabbed the other chair that was in the room and sat down. The two were now face to face.

"Who are you?" the ranger asked.

"My name is Ashley Hammond."

"How did you get onto this ship?"

"Your ship pulled us in. We thought we were going to collide with your ship, but then it pulled us into the bay, and the doors were open. I swear."

"Deca, was the tractor beam used within the last 12 hours?" The ranger asked.

"Affirmative." The computer reported.

"Look, you're a power ranger, and I'm a power ranger…well, was a power ranger, but we're on the same side. You've got to trust me." Ashley said.

"I don't know if you're really a ranger or one of Astronema's spies. Where are you from?"

"Earth. Ever heard of it? Big blue planet, big malls, great clothes…"

"But your Alpha unit is of Eltarian design."

"Yes. You see, we lost our powers, and we were on our way to the Cimmerian planet to rescue Zordon…"

"The Cimmerian planet? Are you crazy, suicidal, or just plain stupid? That's the most heavily guarded planet in the galaxy. I barely got in. Is there anyone else that can verify your story?"

"What about Dimitria and the Bue Senturion?" Ashley asked.

"I don't know where the Blue Senturion is, but Dimitria's dead."

"But…that can't be…" Ashley felt as if all hope and happiness from her had been drained and was left with misery. "What are we going to do now…" Tears began to fall from her cheeks.

He looked into Ashley's eyes to see if she was trying to deceive him or not. Her eyes were full of misery and tears from receiving the bad news about Dimitria. Also, he didn't know why, but for some reason, the red ranger felt that he could trust her. He unbound Ashley's restraints.

Ashley looked up at the ranger and had a surprised look on her face. "Thank you."

"You're going to have to stay here for a little longer. I'll be back soon." He said as left.

Ashley couldn't help but wonder why he believed her, if he believed her.

* * *

The red ranger stood outside the room where Ashley was being held.

"Deca, are the others awake yet?" The ranger asked.

"The other three prisoners are awake." Deca answered.

"Why did you pull their ship in?"

"Reason unknown. A program within the shuttle took temporary control of the megaship."

"But that's impossible to do without the access codes, and the only people with those codes are dead."

* * *

Ashley was pacing around, worrying about what might have happened to her friends. She was also trying to comprehend the fact that Dimitria, the mentor of the power rangers, had died. She didn't know what to do, or what she could do.

The door opened, and it was Cassie. Ashley gave her friend a hug. Seeing Cassie was the best thing that happened to her today. "I'm glad you're okay." Ashley said to her.

"Same here." Ashley looked past Cassie and saw T.J. and Carlos standing next to the red ranger.

"Follow me" the red ranger said to the others as he led the others to the mess hall. When they arrived, everyone took a seat. The red ranger demorphed.

"You're human." Ashley said.

"What did you expect?" he asked.

"I don't know, it's just that we've never been to space before." Ashley explained.

"There are humans in many parts of the galaxy. KO-35 is just one of the places."

"KO-35?" T.J. asked.

"My home planet. It's in the Karova system."

"I'm T.J. by the way. And this is Cassie and Carlos."

"I'm called Andros."

"So, Andros, thanks for only stunning us." T.J. said.

"I needed to interrogate you for information. You would have been useless to me if you were dead."

"Uh, well, in any case, thanks. Where's Alpha?"

"Its speech circuit and power supply are damaged. I shut it down to conserve power since I don't have the necessary parts to fix him. I'll fix your ship, and you guys can go back to Earth and get it fixed there."

"Earth? We have to go to the Cimmerian planet." T.J. said.

"The Cimmerian planet is heavily guarded. You'd be shot down before you even reach orbit. "

"But, what about you? Where will you go?" Carlos asked.

"I'm going to search for Zordon, and fight any of Dark Spector's minions along the way."

"Andros, we can help you." Ashley said.

"You've never even been in this part of the galaxy. Besides, it's extremely dangerous."

"We were power rangers too. We know the risks." T.J. said.

"Andros." Deca interrupted.

"Go ahead Deca."

"Diagnostics of the shuttle is complete."

"All right I'm on my way." Andros stood up. "I'm going to check out your ship and make sure it can get make to earth. In the meantime, you guys can help yourselves to the synthetron or get some rest in the quarters." Andros left for the hanger bay, leaving the others in the mess hall.

"So what do we do now?" Carlos asked. "No Eltar, no Zordon, no power."

T.J. leaned back and sighed. "I don't know. I just don't know."

* * *

A/N - Thanks for reading! Please update and share! I need the feedback. If I don't know how you guys feel about the chapter, I won't be able to improve, so, please, let me know what you think.

Here's a preview for the next chapter...just scroll down a bit. I spaced it in case people don't want to see it

* * *

"Thrusters are offline."

"Reroute power from weapons and secondary functions to shields!" Andros ordered.

Andros buckled himself into his seat. "Buckle up! This is going to hurt!" Andros said.


	4. Power

A/N – here's a treat. A longer entry!

JasonScottLeefan – nuts. I completely forgot about that. Thanks a lot for the feedback.

* * *

Andros walked out of the mess hall and towards the hangar bay. "Deca, are there any damages to the ship?"

"None" Deca reported.

"Then why did their shuttle drop out of hyperrush?" Andros asked.

"Reason unknown."

"Alright. I'm going to take a look at the shuttle's programming." Andros said as he headed for the hangar bay.

* * *

The former turbo rangers had finished sulking around. T.J. and Carlos got some food, Cassie went to one of the quarters to sleep, and Ashley decided to walk around the ship aimlessly.

"Um, it's Deca, right?" Ashley asked the ship.

"Affirmative." Deca answered.

"Could you tell me where Andros is please" Ashley requested.

"Andros is in the hangar bay, on deck 5."

"Thanks. And uh, how do I get there?"

* * *

"Deca, can you locate the program?" Andros asked from inside the Nasada Shuttle.

"Yes. The program has been found."

"Access it. What's the program's function?" Andros asked.

"Unable to comply. Program is locked with a level 10 Karovan code."

"But how could an Earth ship have a Karovan code?"

"Perphaps the answer is on Earth." Deca suggested.

The shuttle door opened, and Ashley entered. "Hey."

"Hi. I'm almost done. Time for you guys to go home."

"How bout you? Do you ever go home?" Ashley asked.

"This is home. "

"What about KO-35? What about your family? Or your friends?" Ashley asked in a slightly concerned tone.

"My people scattered themselves throughout the galaxy when we abandoned KO-35."

"Why don't you come back to Earth with us?" Ashley suggested.

"No. I've got a mission to complete." Andros replied.

"If you push yourself too hard, you'll burn out."

"Your shuttle's ready to take you back to Earth."

"I see. Well, you're always welcome on Earth if you ever feel like it."

"Andros." Deca interrupted.

"What is it Deca?" Andros asked.

"I'm detecting ships in the system. They're headed for the megaship on an intercept course."

"I'm on my way." Andros said as he ran towards the bridge, followed by Ashley.

* * *

Andros and Ashley arrived at the bridge.

"Deca, report"

"Seventy-five velocifighters and one unknown vessel all within firing range."

"On screen." The viewscreen showed veliocifighters as well as one large ship, which Andros assumed to be the flagship.

"Deca, set hyperrush course for Entac, hyperrush 9." Andros ordered. The ship rocked. It was hit with a barrage of shots from the squadrons of velocifighters.

"Hyper-engines are offline." Deca. Reported.

"Damnit. Deca, raise shields. Arm all weapons, prepare to fire defensive laswers once they get within one light second. Fire forward batteries!" Andros commanded.

The megaship complied and began firing at the incoming velocifighters, and managed to destroy a third of the velocifighters before they, as well as the large ship began firing. Sparks flew everywhere on the bridge.

"Shields down to 70%" Deca reported. The megaship was hit with another round of fire from the velocifighters.

"Hull breach on deck 14, sector 2." Deca reported again. Ashley just watched Andros in action, not knowing how she could contribute.

"Seal off the section and deck." Andros ordered.

"Ashley!" A familiar voice called out. It was Cassie. She had come up to the bridge with Carlos and T.J.

"What's happening? T.J. asked.

"Deca, reroute all available power to shields, concentrate fire on the velocifighters, prep missile launch tubes 1 through 50." Andros ordered.

"Andros, how can we help?" T.J. asked.

"Just shut up and stay out of my way!" He snapped.

"Missiles ready."

"Damnit. Launch missiles." The megaship launched 50 missiles all towards the flagship. However, they were all intercepted by the velocifighters that had either shot down the missiles or flown into the missiles, not only destroying the missiles, but themselves as well. The large ship responded by firing its own weapons.

Andros knew what was coming next. "Hold on!" He said to the others as the ship started to fall out of orbit and into the planet it was near. The Megaship descended hard and fast into the atmosphere. Andros did all he could to try to slow down the speed of the ship.

"Deca, reverse thrusters!"

"Thrusters are offline."

"Reroute power from weapons and secondary functions to shields!" Andros ordered.

Andros buckled himself into his seat. "Buckle up! We're going down!" Andros said. The other rangers rushed to a seat and braced themselves for the impact. The Megaship fell into the planet at a low angle, a trajectory which saved the ship from certain destruction. As the megaship fell onto the planet, it hit some mountains on the way down before finally landing in a wide canyon.

The bridge was full of sparks. The lights were flickering. The crew was physically fine because they strapped themselves to a chair, which had held its place.

"Damage report." Andros said.

"All primary systems are offline. Hull breach on decks 11, 9 and 6." Deca reported.

"Is everyone okay?" Andros asked.

"Yeah. I think so." Cassie said.

"I'm in one piece." T.J. reported.

"Same here." Carlos and Ashley said.

"Andros. The flagship has landed, and is now offloading quantrons." Deca reported.

"What's a quantron?" Ashley asked.

"How many, Deca?" Andros asked.

"Currently, there are 50 quantrons. Two velocifighters have also landed."

"Do we have any missiles left?"

"Four."

"Target the ship and fire."

* * *

"Princess Astronema, the megaship has armed weapons." Ecliptor reported.

"Activate the shields and defence lasers." Astronema ordered.

"They are offline."

Astronema's eyes widened, and she knew she couldn't stop those missiles.

"Abandon ship! Now!" Astronema ordered. Most of the quantrons had finished disembarking by the time she gave the order. Ecliptor and Astronema headed for the nearest exist.

BOOM. The large ship was hit with all four missiles and was destroyed.

Astronema and Ecliptor were knocked off their feet from the force of the blast. The two had somehow managed to get off the ship in time to avoid being killed in the blast.

"Are you alright my princess?" Ecliptor asked as he helped Astronema get back up on her feet.

"I'm fine. Just attack the ship!" Astronema said angrily.

* * *

Andros was running through the ship, and the former turbo rangers were right behind him. Andros stopped at a door on deck 8. He entered a code and entered into the room. "Stay here." He said. In less than a minute, he came back out with four morphers in his hands.

"Here." Andros said as he passed morphers to the others.

"They're Astro morphers. My instincts say that I can trust you guys, and I need the help."

The new Astro rangers put on their morphers.

"We'll help you out." T.J. said.

"Yeah, man. You can count on us." Carlos added.

"Great. Now just push the button on the bottom. It'll open the cover. Then press 335 and eject. That will activate the morpher."

"Got it." They said.

"Let's go." Andros said as he ran for the door, with his new team behind.

As the Astro rangers left the ship, they activated their morphers.

"Wow. This is incredible." T.J. said.

"Here they come." Andros reported as he took out his blaster. The others also drew their blasters.

They waited until the quantrons got closer. Andros spotted Astronema and Ecliptor at the back.

"Astronema…I'll get you this time." Andros said quietly so that no one would hear him. Andros aimed his blaster at Astronema and fired. Astronema saw the shot coming and dodged it.

"Get them!" She commanded.

"Open fire!" Andros ordered. The Astro rangers began firing their blasters at the quantrons. One by one, the quantrons fell, but there were still so many quantrons coming at them.

"Spiral Saber activate!" Andros said. The black part of his helmet emitted a green ray, and created a sword with a drill shaped blade. After the weapon was created, the green ray disappeared and the sword dropped, but Andros caught it.

"Woah, how'd you do that?" Carlos asked.

Instead of answering, Andros charged towards Astronema, while striking every quantron in his way. The other rangers charged the quantrons and engaged them in hand to hand combat.

Andros jumped into the air and was swung his sword down towards Astronema, but Ecliptor jumped in and blocked the attack with his sword. Ecliptor pushed Andros backed.

"Run princess. I will take care of the rangers." Ecplitor said as he blocked another attack by Andros.

"I'm not going anywhere." Astronema said as she fired a shot at Andros with her staff, but deflected it away with his spiral saber. Both Ecliptor and Astronema charged at Andros, and Andros did the same. They were evenly matched. Andros couldn't land a hit on either of them, and vice versa. Finally, Astronema managed to hit Andros and knock him down. She smiled.

"Well, looks like this the end for you red ranger. I wish I could kill you slowly, but, I've got so much to conquer, and so little time to do it." Astronema said confidently. She pointed her staff at Andros. But before she could finish him, she was hit with a shot from a blaster and fell back.

"Princess!" Ecliptor helped her up. "Please, princess. We must leave."

The other rangers were closing in on them.

Astronema paused. She didn't want to leave, but she knew she and Ecliptor wouldn't be able to fight all five rangers. "Fine." They ran towards the velocifighters and fled the planet.

"Are you okay?" Ashley asked as she helped Andros get up.

"Yeah. Thanks."

"Who was that?" Cassie asked.

"Astronema, Dark Spector's successor."

"His successor…" Carlos said.

"Come on. We need to get the Megaship flying before she comes back to finish us off." Andros said as he walked back to the Megaship.

A/N – well, finally, some action :p Hope you liked this one. Please review (or subscribe!) and share with other A/A fans.


	5. Breakfast

JasonScottLeefan – those were typos ^^' I actually researched the 335 thing, but that was a typo. Sorry. I'm glad you love my story. I just hope you'll still like it when I start killing people off.

* * *

"Alright, that should do it. Run another diagnostic. I'm heading up to the bridge." Andros ordered Deca. Andros was in the engine room repairing the hyperrush engine. He had stayed up all night, trying to get life support, shields, thrusters and the hyperrush engine online. Fortunately, Astronema had not come back, because the megaship had no sensors to detect ships, and no weapons to fight with.

* * *

Ashley woke up in her room, which was the same room she was held captive in by Andros. She took a quick shower and changed into the ship uniform that Andros provided her with. Then she made her way to the mess hall to get some friends.

"Morning Ashley." T.J. said.

"Morning guys." Ashley said to her friends, who were already eating breakfast. They too had changed into the ship's uniforms. Ashley walked over to the synthetron and stood there trying to decide what to get.

"Get the Eznorian eggs. They're really good." T.J. suggested.

Ashley took at look at T.J.'s food, which looked like purple scrambled eggs. "Um. I think I just lost my appetite." Ashley said. "I'm gonna go."

"Alright, but you're missing out Ash." Carlos said with his mouth full.

* * *

Ashley made her way out of the mess hall and went to the bridge. She walked in and saw Andros standing over the control consoles, working.

"Hey." She said. He turned around.

"Hi" he said back.

"What'cha doing?" Ashley asked.

"Checking all the systems before we take off. Last thing I want is for the megaship to fall apart while leaving the atmosphere."

Andros walked over to the communications station. "Deca, patch me through to the others." Deca complied and turned on the PA system, allowing Andros to make a shipwide announcement. "This is Andros. Everyone hold on. We're going to leave the planet and enter hyperrush." Andros took a seat in the pilot's seat. He looked back at Ashley who was still standing, looking like she didn't know what to do.

"You should take a seat." Andros suggested. Ashley complied. Andros waited until she sat down before he lifted off and flew into space. The ship rumbled as he flew up towards the atmosphere. It reminded her of when she and her friends flew into space in the shuttle, and so she wasn't worried.

"We have cleared the planet's gravitational field." Deca reported.

"Okay. Set course for earth, hyperrush 2." Andros ordered.

"Course set."

"Rush." Andros got up from his seat. Ashley did the same.

"So what now?" Ashley asked.

"Now I'm going to go eat something." Andros said with a yawn.

"I'll join you. I haven't had breakfast yet either." Ashley said as she walked with him to the mess hall, hoping that her friends would be gone, so that she'd be spared from any embarrassment.

"So Andros, how long until we reach Earth?" Ashley asked.

"At the current speed, about a day. I don't want to risk tearing the ship apart, so I'm going a little slow." Andros answered.

They turned a corner, and ran into Cassie.

"_Oh no."_ Ashley thought.

"Hey Ash. Hey Andros." Cassie said.

"Hey."

"Hi."

"Where are you guys going?" Cassie asked.

"To the mess hall to get some food." Andros answered. "Would you like to join us?"

Cassie looked at Andros, then Ashley, and then grinned. "No thanks. I already ate. Have a good meal you two." Cassie said as she walked away, while still grinning.

"_Safe, for now."_ Ashley thought.

The two had arrived at the mess hall. Andros pushed some buttons on the synthetron, and got a tray of food. Ashley stood in front of the synthetron, not knowing what to get, just like earlier in the day.

Andros set his food down and walked back over to the synthetron. "Try this." Andros said as he ordered Eznorian eggs and handed it to her.

Ashley set the food down on the table and sat across Andros. She was still a little afraid of trying the alien food, but she didn't want to offend him, or lose out on this time to be alone with him. She took a bite, and slowly chewed her food, while worrying that it might taste horribly. To her surprise, the eggs were good.

"Not bad." She said as she ate more.

"Ashley, do you think you guys can pilot the shuttle down to Earth?" Andros asked.

"No."

"I'll take you guys down then. I might need to pick up some parts for repairs. I'll know for sure by the time we reach Earth." Andros said.

"Really? You're going to love it." Ashley said with a smile. "There's the beach, the arcade, oh, and the food. You've got to try Chinese food." She said excitedly.

Andros smiled in amusement. "First we have to get there."

"You smiled!" Ashley said with a smile of her own. "It's the first time I've seen you smile."

"I don't smile anymore." He said. He finished eating his food and went to dispose of his dishes.

"You should try it more often. You might like it" She suggested.

* * *

Astronema was in the bridge of the dark fortress, the flagship of Dark Specter's empire. The dark fortress had arrived in orbit of the planet where she and the red ranger fought. The rangers had left, and she was searching for them.

"My princess, we have found a proton trail. It appears to be from the Megaship. It leads to Earth." Ecliptor reported.

"How many quantrons do we have?" Astronema asked.

"15 squads." Ecliptor answered.

"Send a dropship and contact Divatox. I want to find out more about Earth."

* * *

Andros and Ashley had finished eating and Andros had gone back to repairing the ship while Ashley decided to look for her friends. She found Cassie in her room, studying the facts about her pink ranger morpher and the weapons she has.

"Hey Cassie." Ashley said.

Cassie turned around and smiled. "Hey Ash. How was breakfast with Andros?"

"It was good." She answered.

"Did you kiss him yet?" Cassie asked.

"What?!"

"Well c'mon. He's good looking, tall, kind of like a lone warrior. Just your type." Cassie explained.

"Hey, just because he's attractive doesn't mean I like him." Ashley said in her defense.

"Well, you said you lost your appetite, and then thirty minutes later you go to eat alien food, which made you lose your appetite in the first place. If you like Andros, it's fine. I won't tell him, yet." Cassie said with a smirk.

"Well, truth is, yeah, I think I might have a small little crush. But that's all it'll be. Once he drops us off, we'll probably never see each other again. He'll go back into space and the rest of us will be there protecting the earth." Ashley said with a slightly depressed look on her face.

"Yeah…you've got a major crush on him." Cassie said before she burst into laughter. Ashley laughed as well. It was the first time in the past couple of days that Ashley and Cassie had been able to talk without the constant fear of doom.

The next morning, when Ashley woke up, she looked outside her window and saw a bright, blue planet. It was Earth. She was home.

* * *

A/N - Please, review for crying out loud.


	6. Earth

Ashley got up from her bed and went to take a shower. After a nice hot shower, she got dressed. As she stepped outside her quarters, she saw Cassie come out of hers, and they walked to the mess hall together.

"We're finally going back home." Cassie said excitedly. "Feels like it's been forever."

"It's only been a couple of days." Ashley said in an uncheerful mood.

"Last day with Andros, huh? Look, maybe after all this is over, he'll come back. You could even design his clothes. If he looks good in that uniform, imagine how good he would look in normal clothes. Who knows, maybe he'll fall in love with you and never want to leave." Cassie said to Ashley in an attempt to cheer her up.

They arrived at the mess hall and saw the boys at the table. Andros was reading something on a pad, which looked like something out of Star Trek, and T.J. and Carlos were talking.

"Morning guys." Cassie said. The girls got their breakfast from the synthetron and went to sit down.

"Mind if I sit here?" Ashley asked Andros.

"No." Andros answered. She sat down next to Andros and started eating.

"You know guys, it's a good thing it's summer, or else we'd probably have a test or something." T.J. said.

"Yeah, totally." Cassie agreed.

"Speak for yourselves. I've missed a couple of practices already. I don't know how I'm going to explain to the coach." Carlos said.

"Wait, what about our families? We've been gone for almost a week, and we never told anyone." Cassie realized.

"We'll, how about we tell them we went camping?" T.J. suggested. "And we can just say the "note we left" is missing."

"Yeah, yeah. That could work." Carlos said.

"My family's off on a trip so I'm lucky enough not to have to think of an excuse." Ashley said.

"Lucky you." Cassie said.

Andros got up from his table. "Meet at the hangar bay in one hour. We'll leave for Earth then. I'm going to load the Alpha unit into the shuttle." Andros said as he left.

"He's taking us down to Earth?" T.J. asked.

"Yeah. He's got a few supplies to pick up." Ashley explained.

"Bummer. I wanted to fly it down." T.J. said.

"T.J., I'm more afraid of being in a shuttle where you're the pilot, than I am afraid of Dark Specter." Cassie said before everyone broke into laughter.

* * *

The hour had passed and everyone was prepared to leave. They all entered the shuttle and took a seat.

"Deca, open bay doors." Andros ordered. The rangers watched the doors in front open and reveal the big empty space and the big blue planet below.

"Deca, as soon as we're gone, go hide in the asteroid field and deactivate all systems except shields, sensors and communications."

The shuttle left the Megaship and slowly descended onto the planet.

"Where are we supposed to land?" Andros asked.

"Nasada spaceport." T.J. answered.

"And where is the spaceport?"

"Near Angel Grove, but I don't have any coordinates." T.J. said.

"Prometheus, come in." said the radio.

"Who was that?" Cassie asked.

"Prometheus, come in." the radio said again.

"It must be Nasada!" T.J. said. He turned on the radio.

"This is Prometheus. Nasada, we're trying to land, but we need the coordinates of Nasada's landing strip." T.J. said.

"Who is this?" asked the man on the radio.

"We're the power rangers, sir." T.J. explained.

The radio was silent for a minute.

"Sorry we took so long. Good to hear you guys. The co-ordinates are 38.548 by 15.657. Do you need any help landing?"

T.J. turned his head to Andros.

"I found it. We'll be there in less than 5 minutes."

"Doesn't look like we'll need any assistance. We'll be on the deck soon. Over and out."

The other earth rangers looked at T.J.

"Always wanted to say that." He explained.

"We are approaching the spaceport." Andros informed the rangers.

The shuttle lowered his wheels and Andros carefully landed the shuttle. Ashley looked outside and saw various Nasada technicians as well as some military officers. Andros turned off all the systems in the shuttle.

"Guys, we can't let them know our identity. We'll have to morph." T.J. said.

"Good idea." Cassie said. The rangers morphed, then opened the door and jumped out.

"Welcome back to Earth rangers." Said a tall African-American man in a military uniform. He saluted them.

"Thank you sir." T.J. said.

"New outfits I see."

"Yeah."

"I'm Colonel Johnson. If you don't mind, we'd like to debrief as soon as possible."

The rangers looked at T.J.

"Sure thing." T.J. answered.

"Great, just come with us."

"Excuse me, Colonel, I was wondering if you could help me with something." Andros said.

"What would that be?" the colonel asked. Andros handed him the work pad he had earlier.

"This is a list of things I need. I'd appreciate it if you could help me find them."

"I'll send it to Mr. Reed. He can get this stuff for you. He's our top scientist. In fact, he designed that shuttle."

"I would like to meet him later, if you don't mind." Andros said.

"I'll see what I can do." The rangers followed the colonel to debrief on what happened while the rangers were in space. They didn't want to cause a panic, so the rangers told the colonel that they had new powers, but left out the part about Astronema and the fall of Eltar. After the debriefing, the rangers were allowed to go wherever they wanted.

As the rangers left the debriefing room, the colonel stopped Andros.

"I just got word that Mr. Reed isn't available to talk to today. However, we'll happily get the parts you need. Come back tomorrow."

"Sure." Ashley smiled behind her helmet, and Cassie smirked behind hers.

"Let's go guys." T.J. said. They took a jeep which was provided by Nasada, and drove into Angel Grove. When they were alone, they demorphed.

"So T.J., your dad's a colonel at Nasada huh?" Carlos said.

"Yeah. He must have been positioned there while we were gone." He said.

"We've got to get changed." Cassie said. "I don't want to look like something out of a sci fi convention."

"Alright, we'll drop Ashley off first since her house since her house is the closest. Then Cassie and Carlos. I'll pick you guys up in the morning tomorrow." T.J. said.

"Wait, Andros doesn't have a place to stay." Carlos said.

"Well, you can…" T.J. began to say.

"You can stay at my place." Ashley interrupted. "I've got plenty of room at my place, and like I said this morning, my family is on a trip."

"Okay. Thank you." Andros said.

Ashley smiled. "No problem. It's the least I can do."

The rangers arrived in front of a large white house. Ashley and Andros stepped out of the jeep.

"See you two tomorrow." T.J. said.

"Bye Ash." Cassie said as she hugged Ashley from the jeep. "Remember to use protection." Cassie jokingly whispered into her ear. Ashley hit her friend.

"Take care guys." Ashley said. The others drove off as Ashley and Andros stood on the street, watching them drive away.

Ashley turned to Andros and smiled. "We're gonna have so much fun."

* * *

A/N – Andros and Ashley alone in a house?! What could happen?! I guess you'll have to read.


	7. Decision

A/N - Sweetness. 15 reviews. Thanks guys. keep it coming.

* * *

Ashley and Andros entered the house. "Okay, first thing's first. We have to get you some clothes."

Ashley led Andros to her brother's room and opened his closet. Her brother was around the same size as Andros so she assumed the clothes would fit.

"Try these on." Ashley said as she handed him dark blue jeans and a red T-shirt. Ashley walked out of the room and closed the door to give him some privacy. She went to her own room to change into something more casual and yellow. After changing, she went back to her brother's room to check up on Andros. She knocked on the door.

"You almost done in there Andros?" Ashley asked from behind the door.

Andros opened the door from the other side. "Yeah." Ashley giggled a little.

"Your shirt is inside out." She said. "Here let me help. Take off the shirt."

Andros complied. He lifted the shirt, revealing his well toned abdominal muscles, as well as a bunch of small scars. The scars weren't just on his lower chest. There were also scars on his upper chest, as well as on his back. They were thin but long, as if they were made by a knife. There were burn marks as well. Ashley's mouth opened in shock.

"What happened?" She asked softly.

"I was captured during a mission." Andros explained bluntly.

Ashley hesitated, but slowly reached out her hand and touched his scars with her fingers. She slowly looked up at Andros and their eyes met.

"Sorry." Ashley said as she looked away and pulled her hand back.

"It's alright." He said.

She took the shirt and fixed it before giving it back to Andros. After Andros put the shirt on, they got into Ashley's car and drove off to the mall.

* * *

The two rangers arrived at the mall and got some Chinese food at the food court. They decided to go eat outside, under the warm sun. Ashley watched in amusement as Andros struggled with his chopsticks.

"Here." She said as she took the box from his hands. She picked up some rice and stuck it out. Andros moved in closer and ate it.

"You can fix a ship, land a shuttle, and fight a space battle, but you can't use chopsticks? I hope the fate of the galaxy never rests on your ability to use chopsticks." Ashley said.

"If it ever does, you can save the galaxy for me." Andros said jokingly.

"So, what do you think you're going to do after you leave?" Ashley asked.

"I'm going to fix the megaship, and then I'm going to follow up on some leads." Andros answered.

"Come back to Earth every now and then. Say hello, eat some Chinese food."

"Maybe I will."

"Great. Maybe one day after the war, you can me around KO-35." Ashley said.

"Sure." Andros said.

* * *

Andros and Ashley went back to Ashley's place. She turned on the television and let Andros watch it, while Ashley went to make some calls to her fellow rangers. She decided to have a BBQ dinner at her house, giving the chance for the rangers to say goodbye to Andros, as well as discuss plans for what to do next in regards to protecting the Earth.

"Hey Andros, I called the others, and they're coming over for dinner." Ashley called out.

"Okay." He responded.

* * *

The other rangers arrived with some food and drinks.

T.J. set up the grill while Cassie and Ashley got the drinks. Andros helped Carlos set up the table.

"So Andros, do they have BBQ on KO-35?" Carlos asked.

"What is a BBQ?" Andros asked confused.

* * *

The rangers sat around the patio table, eating, drinking, and talking under the setting sun.

"Guys, I've been thinking. And well, I was wondering, where do we go from here? We don't have a command center anymore, we don't have Dimmetria…" Carlos trailed off. The mood became a little depressing.

"If you'd like, you can stay with me." Andros said.

They all looked at him.

"You guys fought well back on that planet, and, well, I could use a crew. I said I didn't want your help earlier because I wasn't sure what you guys were capable of. Maybe with your help, we can put an end to the war." Andros got up and walked away towards the large, grassy backyard, allowing the other rangers some time to discuss the option.

"Like Carlos said, we don't have a command center, and we don't have Dimmetria." T.J. said.

"And there haven't been any attacks on Earth since Divatox left." Ashley added.

"But, what if the Earth is under attack while we're gone?" Cassie wondered.

"Good point." Carlos said.

"Guys, we need to take a look at the big picture. Earth is one of the last, if not the last planet that hasn't been conquered by Dark Specter. If we just stay on the defensive, we're going to be wiped out. We need to go on the offensive. We need to bring the fight to them." T.J. said.

The other rangers thought long and hard. .

"I'll go." Carlos said.

"I'm in too." Ashley said.

Cassie sighed. "Let's go win a war." The decision was unanimous and Ashley went to go inform Andros.

* * *

A/N - what? you thought they were gonna kiss and stuff? It's only chapter 7. And i'm writing chapter 21 right now.


	8. Zios

A/N - Anyone else you want to see in the fic? Tommy? Jason? Adam?

JasonScottLeeFan – It's too early for a hookup. I wanted to take it slow, not rush it. That shirt thing was the only thing I could think of to get him to get his shirt off so Ashley could see the scars. And yes, Zhane is going to make an appearance. It'll be late in the story though. But don't worry, you'll see him.

* * *

The rangers met back at Ashley's house in the morning and left for Nasada together. They were cleared by security and made their way to the shuttle.

"Excuse me! Red Ranger!" called out a familiar voice.

The rangers turned around to see Colonel Johnson running towards them.

"Mr. Reed is here today. Would you like to meet him now?" the colonel asked.

"Yes."

"I'll take you to him now."

"I'll be back soon." Andros said to the other rangers as he left with the colonel.

* * *

Mr. Reed was in his office. He was working on his next project, Terra Venture. He heard a knock on the door.

"Come in." he said. The door opened and the colonel walked in with the red ranger behind him.

"Hello Mr. Reed. The red ranger would like to speak with you." The colonel explained.

"In private, if you don't mind, colonel." Andros added.

"Alright." The colonel agreed and left, closing the door behind him.

"I was told that you designed the ship. Did you also do the programming?" Andros asked.

"Yes." Mr. Reed answered.

"How about lightspeed travel? Did you build the engine?"

"Yes."

"But that technology isn't from earth."

"I'm sorry?"

Andros demorphed. "I'm called Andros. I'm from a planet called KO-35. Your shuttle dropped out of hyperrush and took control of my ship. When I-"

"That's enough Andros. I know who you are." Mr. Reed Interrupted. "I'm also from KO-35."

"Why did you come to Earth?" Andros asked.

"I was asked to come here by Zordon many years ago. He wanted my help in creating the Turbo rangers' morphers, since I designed your Astro morpher."

"But, what about the program?"

"The program did what it was supposed to do. Find a Karovan vessel, and go into its hangar bay. I heard what happened to KO-35 from Zordon, so I spent the past two years creating Prometheus, so that I could go back and find our people who've scattered throughout the galaxy, but the power rangers took the shuttle. But it seems like it worked out in the end."

"I see. If you don't mind, I could use your help with some of the repairs to the Megaship." Andros said.

"I'd be more than happy to help." Mr. Reed said. "Unfortunately, the Alpha unit was greatly damaged, so the repairs will take a long time."

"That's fine. I'll tell the others."

Andros morphed again and left for the shuttle with Mr. Reed, after explaining the situation to the colonel and the director at Nasada. The supplies Andros requested were already onboard.

"They don't have thermal immersion circulators here, so I had to build one for you." Mr. Reed said to Andros as they walked towards the shuttle.

"Thank you. What's your name by the way?" Andros asked.

"Zios" he answered.

As soon as everyone was strapped in, the shuttle was launched with the help of boosters. As soon as the shuttle passed the atmosphere, the boosters were discarded and the shuttle orbited around the planet.

* * *

Another day had passed as Andros and Zios worked on repairing the ship while the rest of the rangers learned how to operate the Megaship. Andros and Zios joined the others on the bridge.

"So what now?" T.J. asked.

"I'm going to fly Zios back down to Earth. I'll take you guys down as well and give you a chance to say goodbye to your families." He said.

"Andros, I small ship has just dropped out of hyperrush." Deca reported.

Andros rushed over to the sensors.

"It's a transport ship…one of Dark Specter's!" Andros ran over to the weapons control station and pressed a few buttons.

"Target destroyed." Deca reported.

"What happened?" T.J. asked.

"Dark Spector sent a transport ship. It must have been here on a scouting mission."

Everyone but Andros had a worried look on their face.

"Don't worry. They need to build more Quantrons in order to invade Earth, and I recently destroyed a shipyard." Andros informed them, putting them at ease.

Everyone went down to the hangar bay to go back down to Earth. Andros dropped off Zios back on Earth as well as the other rangers. They got some personal belongings and went back to the Megaship. Once aboard the Megaship, everyone put their belongings into their quarters while Andros updated the synthetron by adding in some earth foods. Later on, Andros showed the other rangers the galaxy gliders, which they could use to go down to the Earth whenever they wanted or needed to.

* * *

"Stop it Andros." Said a little blonde girl. She was trying to defend herself from a boy's water splashes.

The two children were playing in a beach. They were happy and at peace.

The two children ran around in the sand, and swam in the water. There was laughter in the background, likely to be from their parents.

"Deca, end video." Andros ordered. He was in the bridge, alone at night, watching the video. Andros sighed.

"I'll find you Karone. I promise."

* * *

A/N – The title of the next chapter is below. I'm just warning you incase you don't want any previews of any sorts

I wrote this chapter to explain the whole "hey we're being sucked in by a ship!" thing. I should've just gone a little more off the original plot, but oh well. It was too late. Anyways, I hope you like Zios, cause I think he might be coming back in another chapter

I don't like Alpha, so I wrote him out :p He's not quite dead yet, but he won't be back most likely. A

lso, a thermal Immersion circulator is real. It's a machine that kinda keeps the temp. of a fluid more consistent.

Chapter 9 will be up soon

Chapter 9: Karone


	9. Karone

A/N – I had this idea the other day. A parody (doesn't mean it'll be a comedy) of Power Rangers R.P.M. Take the story of RPM and mix it with the characters and setting of PRIS. If I write it, it'll be after the sequel to this one. What do you think?

If there's something you want to see in the fic, like Zhane and Karone dating, or seeing Adam again, let me know and I'll take it into consideration.

JasonScottLeeFan – I'll see what I can do about Jason and Rocky. I'm probably gonna have Adam in there for a bit. I'll take the Zhane/Karone thing into consideration. Since you've been such a loyal reader, you just might get it.

* * *

As usual, Andros was working. He was looking at the star charts to see where he should go to next to find a shipyard to destroy.

"Andros, a distress beacon being broadcasted from KO-35." Deca reported.

"KO-35? But it's been deserted for years. Could it be Karone?" Andros paused.

"Deca, set a course for home, hyperru…" he stopped. He remembered that the other rangers were onboard.

"Deca, open the hangar bay. I'm taking the shuttle." Andros said as he walked out of the bridge and headed for the Hangar bay.

As soon as Andros was in the shuttle, he strapped in and flew off at maximum hyperrush to get to KO-35. As he sat on the chair in the shuttle, waiting to reach his destination, he thought of the little girl in the video, who had been mysteriously kidnapped years ago. He reached in under his uniform and pulled out a locket. He opened it and it revealed a little girl on the left, and a little boy on the right.

* * *

Andros arrived in orbit of KO-35. He slowly descended into the planet and landed in an empty space in the city. He got out of the shuttle and took out his scanner to see where the distress beacon was being broadcasted from. He followed the signal to a park. It was full of green trees, ponds, and open walking paths. He was close. He took out his blaster and pointed it in front of him. Finally, he had reached the source of the transmission, but there was no one there. There was just a device the size of a computer, flashing lights. Andros lowered his weapon. Then the lights started flashing faster, and Andros realized what it was – a bomb. He tried to run as far away as he could, but the bomb exploded and Andros was hit by the force of the blast and thrown onto the ground.

* * *

"Hey guys, do you know where Andros is?" Ashley asked her friends who were in the simudeck, playing pool.

"No idea. Have you asked Deca?" Cassie asked.

Ashley hit her forehead with her palm. "Deca, where's Andros?"

"Andros is on KO-35." Deca reported.

"What? What's he doing there?" Ashley asked.

"I received a distress beacon from KO-35. Andros went to investigate."

"We have to go after him." Ashley said.

"It's his home planet. He'll probably be fine." T.J. said.

"I have a really bad feeling about this guys." Ashley said with a worried look on her face.

"Alright, we'll go." T.J. gave in.

The rangers arrived at the bridge and took their seats.

"Deca, plot a course for KO-35." T.J. ordered.

* * *

Andros slowly got up. He felt pain in his chest. He assumed it was a fractured rib, but hoped it wasn't worse. He realized that he was lured into a trap, which meant whoever trapped him was nearby, ready to attack. He heard footsteps. He turned around and saw 20 quantrons as well as Elgar walked towards him. He looked around the area for his astro blaster and found it, but it had been damaged in the explosion. He picked it up and tried to rewires it to see if he could still use it. The astro blaster began making a sound in the pattern of a countdown. Andros tossed the blaster towards Elgar and the quantrons and limped back towards the city.

As soon as he got back into the city, he ran towards the shuttle, but stopped and hid behind some columns when he saw that the shuttle was being guarded by quantrons. There were too many quantrons for him to fight since he didn't have his Astro blaster, and also because he was injured. He took a moment to clear his head and analyze the situation. There were quantrons in front of him, and behind him. He only had his spiral saber, but he was injured, and would therefore be unable to battle all those quantrons. He walked towards the nearest armoury, while avoiding all the quantron patrols in the area. He finally made it to the armoury and grabbed two blasters, as well as some balls the size of baseballs.

He returned to the area where the shuttle was. He tossed one of the balls right of him and it began to emit smoke. Two of the ten quantrons guardiang the shuttle walked towards the smoke to investigate. Andros threw another ball, this time left of him. Two more quantrons went to investigate the other smoke. Andros picked up his blasters and shot down two of the remaining six quantrons guarding the shuttle, then the four quantrons that went to investigate the smoke. He waited for the last four quantrons from the other side of the shuttle to come out, and then shot them down, two by two. It seemed as though everything was clear. He ran towards the shuttle, but then he was shot in the back, and fell down. He turned to see who it was. It was Elgar.

"Where do you think you're going?" Elgar asked. He pulled out his sword and walked slowly towards Andros.

"Astronema's gonna like this." Elgar said. Andros reached for his blasters, but the quantrons kicked it out of the way. They picked him up. He was face to face with Elgar.

"I'd rather just kill you now, but Astronema wants you alive so she can finish you herself."

"Not so fast Elgar!" Said a voice from behind far behind him. Elgar turned around. It was the other rangers.

That distraction allowed Andros the opportunity to break free from the quantrons and run towards his team.

"Capture the red, kill the rest!" Elgard commanded. The quantrons attacked and the rangers fought them off. Andros saw Elgar in the distance walking towards him. He summoned his spiral saber and attacked Elgar. Elgar was quicker, and slashed Andros before Andros could hit him. Andros fell back.

"Andros!" Ashley cried out.

* * *

Andros slowly opened his eyes. He saw lights and heard a repetitive beep. He tried to sit up, but he couldn't because of the pain. He tried to move his arms, but felt his right hand being pressed down by something. He looked and saw Ashley, next to him, sleeping on a chair and resting her head on Andros's forearm.

Ashley slowly lifted her head and looked around. "You're awake." She said.

"Yeah."

Ashley realized that she had been using Andros's arm as a pillow. "Sorry." She apologized.

"Don't worry about it. Deca, medical report."

"A broken rib, a fractured rib, and a slight concussion." Deca reported.

"How long have I been out?"

"A day." Ashley answered.

"Could you help me up please?" Andros asked Ashley. She complied. Andros was shirtless, but his upper chest was wrapped in bandages. He got off the bed and began to walk away, but Ashley blocked the door.

"Where do you think you're going?" Ashley asked. "You need to rest, Andros. You've too hurt to move."

"I'm fine. I'll recover." Andros said.

"No! You're not! You could've died back on KO-35!" Ashley said as tears began to form in her eyes.

Andros realized how much he had hurt her and began to feel guilt, and a little emotional pain for causing her to worry about him.

"I'm sorry." He said quietly.

* * *

It was night, and Andros had snuck into the bridge. He sat down and looked at the viewscreen.

"Deca, play Karone-001" Andros ordered. The video of the two children at the beach began playing on the main viewscreen.

"She's beautiful." Said a female voice from behind. Andros immediately turned off the turned to see who it was. It was Ashley.

"Who is she?" Ashley asked.

"Karone. She's my sister." Andros answered hesitantly.

"Your sister?"

"Yeah." Andros sighed.

"What happened to her?" Ashley asked curiously.

"She was kidnapped not too long after that recording was filmed." Andros answered.

"She was the reason you went back to KO-35, wasn't she?"

"Yeah." Andros stood up, ready to leave. Ashley walked closer to him and hugged him.

"You'll find her." She whispered into his ear. "I know you will."

* * *

A/N – What a way to end a chapter, huh?

Another Andros and Ashley moment. Ugh, when will they hook up, right? Well, I guess you'll just have to keep reading...and reviewing.


	10. Sting

A/N - Finished writing chapter 21 today.

JasonScottLeeFan - I honestly don't know why I put Elgar there. But oh well.

* * *

It had been a month since the incident at KO-35. Since then, the other rangers were told about Karone, and Ashley and Andros had gotten closer, and Andros had begun smiling again. They stayed in Earth's orbit, defending it from whatever Astronema occasionally threw at them.

The rangers went to the jungle planet of Cyresum to look for Zordon. Ashley and Andros stayed behind on the megaship while the others went to search on the planet.

"I'm picking up a few lifeforms, but nothing more than that." Andros reported.

"Alright, we'll check it out. Too bad Quantrons aren't biological, cause then we'd be able to pick them up on the sensors." T.J. said. He, Carlos and Cassie walked towards the lifesigns.

T.J. stopped. "I'm picking up a lifesign. It's nearby. Stay alert guys." The three rangers pulled out their Astro blasters and looked around for any sign of life. They stood back to back to back. The scanner started to beep loudly and frequently.

"It's right on top of us!" T.J. said.

They looked up and saw a large bug fly down. It pointed its stinger at Cassie and stung her in the neck. The pink ranger screamed out in pain.

"Cassie!'' T.J. cried out.

T.J. didn't want to risk shooting Cassie accidentally so he used the butt end of his astro blaster to hit the bug off Cassie's neck. As soon as the bug hit the ground, Carlos shot it while Cassie collapsed.

"Cassie!"

"Guys, we need help! Cassie is down!"

* * *

Carlos and T.J. came in rushing and crying for helping. Andros and Ashley helped them get Cassie to the infirmary.

"What happened?" Andros asked.

"A giant bug stung Cassie." T.J. explained.

They put Cassie on the bed. Carlos showed Andros the sting on Cassie's neck. Andros's eyes widened.

"Strap her down." Andros ordered. The rangers looked at Andros, a little confused, but didn't do anything else.

"Now!" They complied.

Andros walked over to the medicine cabinet and looked for something. He pulled out some sort of injector, as well as a clear bottle.

"What are you doing?" Ashley asked as Andros filled a syringe with the fluid from the bottle.

'Slowing down her metabolism." Andros said as he injected Cassie with the syringe.

"Why?" Carlos asked.

"Because she's been stung by a Barillian bug."

"What's a…" T.J. began to say before he was cut off by Andros.

"A mutant bug. It was designed to infect a person. The venom will slowly mutate the victim, turning them into a humanoid version of the bug. Once the transformation is complete, there's no way to cure the victim."

"Designed? Wait, are you saying that thing was some kind of lab bug?" T.J. asked.

"Yes." Andros answered.

"Is there a cure?" Ashley asked.

"Yes. The bugs plagued KO-35 years ago, but we were able to develop a cure. I just hope there's still some left."

"I'll go set a course for KO-35." T.J. said.

"T.J., wait." Andros said.

"What's the matter?"

"If there's no antidote, we won't be able to help Cassie, and that means we will have to…"

"If you're suggesting that we-" T.J. began to say.

"I'm not. But, if we are too late, we will have to, for our sakes, as well as for Cassie. The transformation is a very painful process." Andros interrupted.

T.J. said nothing. Instead, he left the infirmary.

Ashley held Cassie's right hand throughout the trip. The other two rangers stayed as well. They couldn't believe that they could be losing one of their own.

* * *

"What is the progress of the shipyards?" Astronema asked as she looked out into space from the bridge of the Dark Fortress.

"We have rebuilt the shipyard and have also built over fifty velocifighters, but we will need much much more if we are to conquer Earth." Ecliptor reported.

"Not to mention the power rangers and the Megaship."

"The rangers won't be a problem soon." Said a monstrous voice from the shadows of the bridge of the Dark Fortress.

Ecliptor and Astronema turned to the source of the voice.

"Whoever you are, show yourself!" Astronema demanded.

Out from the shadows emerged an orange and black monster with bright yellow eyes and spikes on his chest.

"I am Darkonda, the best bounty hunter in the galaxy." He said with pride.

"I've never heard of you before." Astronema said.

"But we have met once before, when you were very young." He said.

"Well I don't remember."

"It does not matter, princess. What does matter is that I've infected the pink ranger with the venom of a Barillian bug." He reported as he laughed victoriously.

"I've heard of those before. Isn't there an antidote on KO-35?" Astronema asked.

"Not if you destroy them all." Darkonda said.

"Send the Quantrons. Have them destroy every hospital and science facility that still stands." Astronema ordered.

"I'd like to go with them, princess." Darkonda said.

"Why is that?" she asked.

"I'm expecting the red ranger to be there, and I would like to say hello." He said with an evil laugh.

"Very well then. Take a velocifighter, and make sure they don't get the antidote, or else your blood will stain this deck, just as Elgar's blood has."

* * *

A/N - oh shizzle. Cassie's in trouble, and I said no character is safe. So, what's gonna happen? Is she going to die? Live? You'll just have to keep reading


	11. Antidote

The megaship arrived at KO-35. Andros and Carlos went down to the planet while T.J. kept an eye on everything from the bridge and Ashley stayed with Cassie.

Andros and Carlos ran up a flight of stairs in the largest standing hospital in the capital city of KO-35. They ran up to the main medicine storage level and accessed one of the computers.

"Let's see. Barillian antidote should be on…" Andros went down the list of where all antidotes had been stores.

"Room 1307, Cabinet Alpha. Let's go." Andros said as he ran to room 1307 with Carlos right behind him.

Once they reached the room, they went in and opened the cabinet door of Cabinet Alpha.

"Damnit. It's not here." Andros said in frustration. He looked through the entire cabinet while Carlos looked through the others.

"It's not here." Carlos said.

"We'll have to try another hospital." Andros said. They went out into the hallway, and walked over to the window at the end. Andros shot the window with his astro blaster, creating a hole in the wall the size of a person.

"Galaxy glider! Hang ten!" Andros said, summoning his galaxy glider. Carlos called his galaxy glider as well. They got on their gliders and flew down to the ground level.

"Where to next?" Carlos asked.

"We'll have to try the military compounds. Hopefully they've got some left." Andros said.

The two rangers flew off into the direction of where the military compound was. When they arrived, they headed for the military hospital which was basically a couple of short buildings surrounded by other buildings and warehouses. They got off their gliders and entered the military hospital. They checked all the cabinets, but once again failed to find the antidote.

"Andros." T.J. called from the megaship.

"What is it, T.J.?" Andros asked as he and Carlos left the building.

"I'm detecting a small fleet of ships dropping out of hyperrush on the other side of the planet. I think they're velocifighters! You guys need to get out of there!"

"But we haven't found the antidote yet!"

"And you never will!" said a monstrous voice from behind. The two rangers turned around and saw an orange and black monster with yellow eyes, holding a small bottle of a blue liquid.

"Who are you?!" Andros demanded.

"Darkonda, bounty hunter." Darkonda answered. "It's a shame you don't remember me red ranger. After all, we have quite the history."

"What's he talking about?" Carlos asked.

"I have no idea, but he's got the antidote." Andros answered.

Darkonda dropped the bottle onto the ground and stepped on it, breaking the bottle, and destroying Cassie's chances of being cured by the antidote. "Your friend will become a Barillian soon, so you should go say your goodbyes while you still can." Darkonda taunted, trying to anger the rangers.

Blinded by rage, Carlos drew his blaster and fired some shots at Darkonda, but Darkonda managed to dodge them all.

"Quantrons are coming to destroy this place." Darkonda informed them. "But you don't have to die today. There's no fun in watching you die by the hands of Quantrons."

"Andros, Carlos, you guys need to get out of there! I can't intercept the velocighters in time!"

The sky was filled with the noise of ships coming towards them. Andros and Carlos reluctantly decided to fall back to the megaship, without the antidote, and with the guilt of their failture to save their friend.

* * *

Carlos and Andros came back, disappointed in their failure, and saddened by the fact that they would soon lose one of their own.

Andros set course for Onyx before heading down to the infirmary to join the rest of the rangers.

"I've set course for the planet Onyx. I'll try to find the antidote in the black market." Andros informed them. He then walked over to the life signs monistor to see how Cassie's vitals were doing. Thanks to the solution that Andros injected into her body, Cassie's transformation process had been slowed down significantly, and was still human.

Cassie began to move and groan. She had woken up. "What happened?" she asked as she tried to examine her enivorment. She noticed that she had been strapped down.

"Why am I strapped down?" She asked.

"Cassie…" T.J. began to say.

"What? What's wrong?" Cassie asked, this time, worried.

T.J. tried to use all of his strength to tell her the truth, that she was doomed, but just couldn't say those words. T.J. didn't need to say anything. Cassie looked at her friends, and saw the sadness in their faces, and knew that they couldn't say. Tears began to form in Cassie's eyes.

"How long do I have?" Cassie asked.

"I don't know. It could be a day, or it could a week." Andros answered. "We're trying everything we can to help you."

"I know."

Cassie's left leg began to transform. Everyone could hear her bones crunch and twist. Her foot grew so much that her shoe fell apart, and a bit of her left pant leg was ripped. Her leg became that of a monster's leg, one of an orange and blue color, covered in slime. Cassie screamed in pain. Cassie lifted her head up to see her leg, and she, along with the other rangers, excluding Andros, was horrified. Cassie lowered her head again. Ashley may not have been dying, and she may not have just been dumped by a boyfriend, but she felt her heart shatter at the sight of her friend in pain.

"I'd like to leave a message for my family." Cassie requested.

* * *

A/N - So. The antidote on isn't on KO-35. So, if its not on the black market, she's pretty screwed. Well, I guess we'll see if she lives or not.


	12. Goodbye

A/N - This was originally going to be a longer chapter, but I split chapter 12 into two chapters. I did it for cliffhanger purposes. I can understand now, why a writer would end a season or an episode on a cliffhanger, but I still think ending a series or even a book (*cough*Animorphs*cough*) in a cliffy is mean....unless it wasn't intended. I was gonna post this the day after i posted ch 11, but, I think I'll be nice. I hate waiting for new things. I don't even want to wait for the next ep of Power Rangers RPM

Anyways....enjoy.

JasontScottLeeFan - Life's not fair. Cassie doesn't deserve to die, especially like that. Hopefully she'll live.

* * *

The megaship arrived near Onyx. Andros hid the ship behind one of the moons and flew to Onyx on his glider, hidden under a black cloak, similar to the one he wore when he infiltrated the gathering of the United Alliance of Evil. He left his team behind to guard the ship, and to stay with Cassie during her last hours.

Andros landed a short distance away from the town to avoid detection. Once he landed, he hid his galaxy glider, demorphed under the cloak, and made his way into town, hoping to find a cure for Cassie.

* * *

After Cassie finished her message for her parents, she requested to talk to each ranger alone. Carlos was first.

"Carlos, I just want to tell you that I'm glad to have met you. And I hope one day, when this is all over, you become a great soccer player." Cassie said.

"Well I just hope you're there to watch me win the world cup." Carlos said with a chuckle.

Cassie laughed. "Well, hopefully Andros can find the cure so I can be there when it happens."

"I'm sure he will. Don't give up hope."

* * *

Andros walked into the salon, where bounty hunters, terrorists, and agents of Dark Specter gathered to drink, gamble, and relax. It was filled with laughter, music, prostitutes, and some of the worst killers in the galaxy. As soon as Andros walked in, he scanned the room and walked over to the bar, and sat next to a human with short dark brown hair, and black clothes, who was drinking alone.

"Terynic. No smoke." Andros requested. The drinker beside him turned his head to see Andros.

"Andros. Back already?" he said.

The server gave Andros his drink. "How is business, Gowon?"

"It is very good. What can I get for you this time? More Guradium? Or how about Protenium? They're the latest explosive on the market. Even stronger than Guradium."

"I need something else. I need an antidote for the Barillian sting."

* * *

T.J. was the next person to speak to Cassie. He walked in and took a seat in the chair next to her bed. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Not too bad considering the fact that I'm going to be a dead bug girl in a day or so." Cassie said sarcastically.

T.J. couldn't help but smile in amusement. "Look Cassie, I know Andros will be able to find a cure. We've known him less than a month, but I believe in him. So don't worry."

"Easy for you to say. You're not the one strapped down to a bed with a giant bug leg." She snapped.

"I'm sorry" Cassie apologized immediately.

"No. Don't worry about it Cassie." T.J. said, trying to comfort her.

"It just sucks. I'm still a teenager. I haven't even graduated high school. I never even made it to Stone Canyon. I'll never even be able to get married now." Cassie began to cry.

"Hey, come on. Don't think like that." T.J. said.

"T.J. There's something you need to know." Cassie said.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I-I-I like you. A-and not just as a friend, but something more." She confessed. T.J. stood up, leaned in and kissed Cassie, like a prince kissing Snow White or sleeping beauty.

"Same here." He said softly with a small smile. "Same here."

* * *

"I don't have the antidote, and your friend would be dead by the time I can get the antidote. I'm sorry." Gowon said to Andros.

"I slowed her metabolism with Rectek Silioc." Andros said.

"Still, I need to find a bottle, which is extremely rare if not nonexistent."

"Don't you know anyone who might have the antidote?" Andros asked.

"I can check with all my suppliers, but I still doubt I can find it." Gowon answered.

"Find out for me." Andros requested.

Gowon sighed. "Come back in an hour."

"While you're at it, find out about a bounty hunter named Darkonda."

"Darkonda. Sounds familiar. I'll look into it."

"See you then." Andros said as he finished his drink and left.

* * *

T.J. left the infirmary and called Ashley in. She walked over to a smiling Cassie and held her hand. "Hey." Ashley said.

"Hey." Cassie said.

"Why are you smiling?" Ashley asked.

"T.J. kissed me." Cassie answered with the smile still on her face. Ashley smiled.

"That's great! I was wondering when you two would finally admit to liking each other."

"If I wasn't going to die, you, Andros, T.J., and I could've double dated." Cassie said. "So all we need is for me to not be dying and for you two to admit to liking each other."

"He doesn't like me, Cassie." Ashley denied.

"It's obvious that he likes you. Only the person who is the object of another's affection is so oblivious." Cassie said.

"Wise-ass." Ashley said. They burst into laughter.

"You're a good friend." Ashley said to Cassie.

"Back at ya. Just, make sure you name your first daughter Cassie." Cassie said.

"I'll think about it." Ashley said jokingly.

* * *

The hour had passed, and Andros returned to the Salon. He found Gowon sitting at the same seat and made his way towards him.

"Were you able to find it?" Andros asked.

"I'm afraid not." Gowon said.

Andros lowered his head in disappointment.

"You have my sympathies, Andros. I lost my father to the barillian sting. I know how you must feel. I'm still looking into Darkonda though. Come back another time and I'll have plenty of information." Gowon said in an attempt to comfort Andros.

Without saying a word, Andros got up and left. He walked out of town and returned to the ship on his galaxy glider.

* * *

A/N - No!!!!!! There's no antidote!!!!! What's Andros going to do?!!!!! well, I said I no character is safe. Although, Andros and Ashley are safe for now cause they haven't even hooked up yet, but they'll hook up soon. Or should someone die in place of Cassie? Maybe kill of Carlos? Or T.J.? Or Zordon?


	13. Hope

A/N - Were you dying to see what would happen next? Was the cliffhanger driving you nuts? Are you worried sick that Cassie might die?!

Vampire's Heartache - I originally intended to have Carlos be the sting victim, but then I changed it to Cassie for reasons I can't talk about yet.

* * *

Ashley felt weighed down from all the emotions running through. Her friend was dying and there was nothing she could do. All she could do was wait, hope, and pray.

"Ashley, Andros has returned." Deca informed her.

She met up with Andros in his quarters. He had gone there to drop off his cloak.

"How did it go?" Ashley asked from the door.

"I couldn't get it." Andros explained.

Ashley was heartbroken by the news and was left speechless. She didn't know what to say, or what to do.

Ashley leaned against the door, and tears fell down her face. Andros walked over and hugged her. In that moment, Ashley felt at ease. She felt safe, comfortable, and had the feeling that everything would be alright

"I won't give up." Andros said.

* * *

Ashely accompanied Andros who was on his way to the infirmary to see how Cassie was doing. So far, only her left leg had transformed. The drug that slowed her metabolism had proven to be fairly effective. She had been kept company by T.J. and Carlos.

"Any luck on the antidote?" T.J. asked.

"No, I'm sorry." Andros answered.

The others couldn't believe the news. They had finally lost hope. Surprisingly, Cassie was the least affected by the news. She was pessimistic about finding the antidote.

"Hey guys, mind if I talk to Andros alone for a little while?" Cassie requested. The other rangers left the room, leaving Cassie alone with Andros.

"How are you doing?" Andros asked.

"I've been better." she answered. Niether ranger spoke for a minute.

"Andros, I want you to kill me." Cassie requested blunty.

"Cassie…"

"I don't want to lose more of my body. I've already lost my leg. Please, Andros."

Andros didn't want to, but he knew that only he could fulfill her request. "Alright." He agreed.

"And Andros, take care of Ashley. She's going to need you after I'm gone." Cassie said.

"Sure."

"She has feelings for you too, you know."

Andros looked away from Cassie. "I don't know what you are talking about." He lied.

"Andros, you may be a great ranger, but you can't fool me when it comes to romance. I've seen the way you look at her, the way you treat her. And I trust that you're going to continue to be there for her." Cassie said.

"I-"

"You don't need to say anything. And thank you for doing everything you can to help me."

"Cassie, give me some more time." Andros requested.

"Andros, please. I've already lost my leg-"

"I know, it's just that, I-I don't want to lose another person in my life. I've already lost my father, my sister, countless friends. I don't want to lose another friend."

Cassie considered his request for a while, and answered, "Okay."

* * *

Andros was on the bridge, accessing the ship's database on everything related to the Barillian sting. There was a small library's worth of information related to the subject, so Andros tried to narrow it down.

"Search for anything related to the Barillian sting, but leave out the history as well as the symptoms of the sting." Andros ordered.

The result was smaller, but not insignificantly smaller.

"How long have you been up here?" asked a voice from behind.

"Since I left the infirmary." Andros answered without turning back to see who had asked him. He didn't need to. He knew it was Ashley. He recognized her voice. Ashley walked over and took a seat on the chair to Andros's right. She handed him some coffee.

"That was six hours ago. Don't you ever feel tired?" Ashley asked.

"I'm fine." Andros replied.

Ashley leaned over and kissed Andros on his right cheek.

"Thanks." She said.

Andros turned his head to face her. "For what?"

"For doing everything you've done for Cassie, and for not giving up."

"No need to thank me." Andros said. He then turned his attention back to his work.

"Want some help researching?" Ashley asked.

"Sure. You can help me study the last recording I'm about to watch."

Ashley turned her chair to face the screen and ordered Deca to play the recording.

The recording showed many people on beds in what looked to be the inside of the military hospital that Andros and Carlos had gone to. Some of them seemed perfectly human, while others had limbs that were changed by the Barillian sting. The camera focused on one patient that had almost completely transformed into a Barillian humanoid. Several soldiers surrounded the patient, and a doctor came in with a syringe filled with a blark fluid. The doctor injected the fluid into the patient, and the patient's body immediately transformed back to normal.

"Hey, is that the antitdote?" Ashley asked, interrupting the recording, which Andros paused before answering.

"No. That's a toxic substance called Tetrayunok. It kills a person instantly. The doctor was killing the person before they fully transformed." Andros explained. A lightbulb in Andros's head went off.

"What is it?" Ashley asked, curious by the look on his face.

"I have an idea. Deca, call T.J. and Carlos. Tell them to meet us in the infirmary." Andros got up.

"Come on. Let's go." He said to Ashley.

* * *

All five rangers stood around Cassie in the infirmary. All eyes were on Andros who had called them so that he could explain his plan to save Cassie.

"We kill Cassie." Andros said.

"What?! Are you crazy?!" T.J. said angrily.

"Hear me out. We stop her heart, and the Barillian DNA will die. Her body will return to her human form immediately, and then we can revive her." Andros explained.

"How do you propose that?" T.J. asked.

Andros pulled out two metallic discs around an inch in diameter and half a centimeter in thickness.

"We use an electric current to stop her heart, and then use another one to revive her, moments later. But the thing is, I've never seen this done, nor have I ever done this myself. I don't know if it will be successful or not."

The room was filled with silence as the team considered Andros's idea.

"Do it." Cassie ordered.

"You sure, Cassie?" T.J. asked.

"If it works, everything will be fine. If it doesn't, then at least I won't have to be cremated." She said.

"All right." Andros removed the restraints that strapped Cassie down. He removed her upper body clothes, excluding her bra, and placed the metallic discs on her body; one on top of the heart, the other on the side of the body.

"Ready?" Andros asked Cassie.

Cassie took one last look at her friends, took a deep breath, closed her eyes and said, "Ready."

* * *

A/N - what's gonna happen?!!!! Is she going to live?!!!! Read and review and share!!!


	14. Heart

A/N – will Cassie die? Will she live? I hope you guys have been worried sick about her ^^'

* * *

Cassie laid waiting for the electric shock to come while Andros set the voltage. Andros sighed. "Here we go." He said before pushing the button which released the set voltage of electricity from one disc to the other, through Cassie's heart.

Her body shot up before falling onto the bed again immediately. The moniter stopped displaying her heartbeats. Instead, there was a single, flat line, and an annoying, yet grim sound. The others watched as the parts of Cassie's body that were transformed by the Barillian sting returned to Cassie's original, human form.

Andros scanned Cassie's body to make sure her DNA was 100% human.

"Okay, she's cured." Andros informed then as he pushed the button again, releasing another jolt of electricity. Cassie's lifeless body jumped again, but there was no response on the monitor. The line was still flat.

"Oh no." Andros said.

"What is it?" Carlos asked.

Andros tried to shock her again. It failed again. "She's not responding to the shocks." Andros tried to set the voltage at a higher setting. He tried again, but again it failed.

"What if you increase the voltage?" Carlos suggested.

"I've already tried at the highest setting. Anymore and she would burn." Andros removed the discs and began to pump her chest with his hands. "Come on Cassie!" he cried.

"Andros, the timer says a minute and a half has passed! What does that mean?!" Ashley asked.

"If her heart doesn't start beating in less than thirty seconds, she's dead!" Andros explained as he rushed over to the medicine cabinet and frantically searched for a bottle of cardiamine. As soon as he found it, he filled a syringe with the fluid and raised it high with the needle pointing down. He held it as a killer would hold a knife before striking their victim down.

The monitor displayed the time as one minute and fifty-five seconds. Andros had five seconds left to save Cassie.

"What is that?" T.J. asked. Andros ignored him and focused on trying to save Cassie. The other rangers just watched in shock and fear as Andros swung down the syringe into Cassie's chest, and injecting her with the fluid.

Three seconds were left. As soon as all the fluid was injected, he withdrew the needled and placed it on a tray.

"Cardiamine. It stimulates the heart." Andros explained.

Cassie's eyes opened wide and she gasped for air as her heart beat returned to normal. Everyone was filled with joy. Their friend had been saved. Everyone sighed with relief. Ashley covered her mouth and had tears of joy, as if she had just won a gold medal. She walked over to the other side of the bed where Carlos and T.J. were standing and hugged them both.

Cassie grabbed Andros's hand and said, "Thank you."

* * *

The megaship had arrived back on Earth. Cassie was ordered to stay in the infirmary overnight for observation and recovery. Carlos had gone while T.J. and Ashley stayed by her side and Andros checked to see how she was doing every couple of hours.

"Hey T.J., could you give us some privacy?" Cassie requested.

"Sure thing." T.J. said. Whenever Andros would check up on Cassie, he saw T.J. and Cassie so happy together. He remembered what it was like to have those feelings, with someone from his past.

* * *

Andros was on the bridge, working as usual.

"Man, you never take a break, do you." Said T.J. from behind.

"I'll take a break when I'm dead or after this war." Andros said.

"Just don't let Ashley hear you say that." T.J. warned. "Speaking of Ashley, her birthday is coming up in a month."

"What is a birthday?"

"On Earth, we celebrate the day of a person's birth." T.J. explained.

"Okay, and…?"

"Well, we buy presents for the person's birthday. You don't have to get her anything, I just thought I'd let you know, in case you want to get something for her. I've seen how close you two have gotten lately."

"She's a good friend." Andro said.

"You two look like more than just friends sometimes." Andros looked at T.J.

"I'm just sayin'" T.J. said defensively as he left the bridge. Andros stopped working and began thinking about what T.J. had said and about Ashley's coming birthday.

* * *

"Deca, where is Ashley?" Andros asked as he wandered around the halls of the ship late at night.

"Ashley is in her quarters." Deca answered.

Andros made his way to her quarters, but stood outside. He didn't know if he should knock or if he should just walk away. He raised his right index finger and held it infront of the control pad which controlled the locks, com, and bell for the room. After a moment, he pushed it. He waited for what seemed to be an eternity. The door slid open and Ashley stood in front of him.

"Hey, Andros. What's up?" She asked with a yawn.

He didn't say anything. Ashley looked at him strangely.

"Are you okay, Andros?" she asked.

Andros leaned in and kissed her.

* * *

A/N - They kissed!!!! Finally!!!! What happens next?!

I totally stole the save Cassie idea from Stargate Atlantis. They did the same thing...except the second shock actually worked. And then I stole the injection thing from CSI: Miami when Eric got shot. ^^'


	15. Kiss

The night passed, and Cassie was released from the Infirmary. She had been with T.J. all night, and was eager to get something to eat. They joined hands and walked to the mess hall together to get some food.

When they arrived at the mess hall, they saw Andros and Ashley holding hands and talking. However, the most shocking thing was that Andros was smiling. Though the crew had seem him smile every now and then, this was different. He had a big smile, almost as if he had won the lottery. Ashley and Andros turned and looked at T.J. and Cassie.

"Hey guys." Ashley said to T.J. and Cassie.

"Good Morning." T.J. said as he went to the synthetron to order some food.

"It's morning already?" Andros asked surprised. He got up. "I've got so much work to do."

"Do you have to go?" Ashley pouted.

"I'll be back soon." Andros said. He gave her a quick kiss and left.

Cassie and T.J. got their food and sat down across from Ashley. "Okay, spill." Cassie said.

"Well, last night, Andros comes to my room in the middle of the night and kisses me. We've been here ever since." Ashley explained.

"So, does that mean you two are...?." Cassie said.

"I'm not sure."

"Well, I guess you better go find out." T.J. said.

* * *

"Princess Astronema, we have not received any transmissions from the transport ship sent to Earth. It was most likely destroyed by the Power Rangers." Ecliptor.

"But those rangers were Astro Rangers. They are supposed to be from KO-35…"

"We are receiving a transmission from The Abyss." A Quantron reported.

"Put it through." Astronema ordered.

Dark Specter appeared on the screen.

"Astronema, there is a rebellion on Hemius Prime. Go crush them." Dark Specter ordered.

"But Dark Specter, what about Earth?"

"Earth can wait. It is defenseless. Go now to Hemius Prime."

"As you wish." The transmission ended.

"Send every available Quantron and velocifighters. Prep a transport as well. Ecliptor, you have command of the Fortress." Astronema ordered.

* * *

Ashley walked up to the bridge hoping to find Andros, but surprisingly, Andros wasn't on the bridge.

"Deca, where is Andros?" Ashley asked.

"Andros is in the Infirmary." Deca reported.

Ashley walked to the Infirmary, hoping Andros was okay.

Andros was reorganizing the medicine cabinet in the Infirmary. It had become a bit of a mess since the Barillian bug incident with Cassie. He also needed to check the stock.

"What are you doing here?" Ashley asked from behind. Andros turned and smiled.

"Just organizing some things." He said.

"Listen, Andros, I just wanted to ask. What are we? Was last night I guess this morning just a one time thing? Or are we together?" Ashley asked.

"I don't understand." Andros said confused.

"On KO-35, how do two people, become lovers?" Ashley asked.

"We either tell the person whom we have feelings for, or we just kiss them, like last night. The other person chooses to accept or reject by telling them or by means of another action." Andros explained.

"Oh." Ashley walked up to him. "Then in case you may have misunderstood earlier, here's my answer." She leaned in and kissed him.

* * *

"Are you sure you don't want to come with us?" Ashley asked Andros.

She and her friends had morphed and were on their galaxy gliders, ready to go down to Earth to visit their families. Had it not been for Cassie's near death experience with the bug, the rangers would be out searching for Zordon and any other allies that could help them along the way.

"I'm sure." Andros answered. "Have fun."

He closed the door, which had a window, allowing him to see his new girlfriend as he depressurized the room and opened the hangar bay. He watched as his friends went home for a day.

Andros went down to deck 12, and walked into the engine room. He went to the left side of the room, and stood in front of the wall.

"Deca, open Cargo bay X9327. Authorization code, alpha echo slash slash five four."

"Authorization code accepted." The wall slid open, revealing a room, which Andros entered.

"Deca, lights." Andros ordered. The lights turned on, and revealed a small room that was nearly empty. There was a bed and a life signs monitor which emitted the repetitive beep. On the bed laid an unconscious man with long blonde hair. Andros stood next to the man

"Deca, any changes recently?" Andros asked.

"None." Deca reported.

"Wake up Zhane. Wake up."

* * *

A/N - So, good news, and bad news. Zhane is alive, but that also means I can kill him off :D hehehe...


	16. Found

JasonScottLeeFan - That was a typo, but I guess it makes sense cause he's been comatose for years. It's not like Andros has time to cut his hair and make look good and stuff. As for the desire to kill people off....I want to do that to get the emotional reactions from the characters. It's not that I hate characters or anything. I'm going to be reasonable if I kill someone off. Besides, you guys took it well. I killed Elgar, and there were no tears. But then again, it's Elgar. Just, trust me. :p If I lose some readers, oh well. I just hope I don't lose readers that review :p And, you're never insulting. I appreciate all your criticisms...seriously, i do

PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!

* * *

A month had gone by and Ashley's birthday had come around, and the rangers took the day off to celebrate. They went to a local park for a picnic. They brought and bought some food, as well as the birthday cake. After the song, Andros walked away and leaned against a nearby tree.

"Make a wish." Carlos said to the birthday girl. Ashley took her time thinking of a wish.

She took a moment to think about what to wish for, and then blew out the candles. She took the first slice Carlos cut and walked over Andros.

"Here." She said as she handed him the cake and fork. "Have some cake."

"Thanks." He said as he accepted it.

"We don't celebrate birthdays on KO-35." Andros informed her.

"Well then, I hope you've been enjoying your first birthday party." Ashley said with her usual smile.

"T.J. told me that the birthday person gets a gift on their birthday." Andros said.

"Oh you didn't have to get me a gift. It's okay."

"Actually," Andros held the plate of cake with his left hand while he reached into his right pocket and pulled out a small wrapped box. "I did." He handed her the box.

Ashley opened the box and pulled out the gift. It was a triangular necklace with an orange gem in the middle of it.

"The stone is a rare gem from KO-35. It belonged to my mother" Andros informed her.

"Andros, I can't accept this. This is too special." Ashley said.

"I-I want you to have it. You are special, to me."

"I love it." She put on the necklace. "Thank you." She said as she hugged him. She went to show the necklace to her friends.

Andros's morpher made a sound. Andros looked around to see if there were any people, other than his friends, nearby. He flipped open his morpher and said, "Go ahead Deca."

"I received a priority one transmission from the Phantom ranger." Deca informed him.

"We're on our way." Andros told the AI. He walked over to the rest of the group and informed them of the situation. They took the gifts and cake to Ashley's house and returned to the megaship.

* * *

The rangers ran into the bridge and took their stations.

"Deca, play the transmission." Andros ordered. All eyes turned to the screen.

"Rangers." It was the phantom ranger. "I have found Zordon, but I cannot rescue him alone. I need your help. He is being held on the planet Hecuron. Please hurry!"

"Setting course for Hercuron at maximum hyperrush." Carlos said.

"Go." Andros ordered.

"Going in three…two…one." Carlos pushed the button that activates the hyperrush and the ship flew past the stars indescribably fast.

"What's the ETA?" Andros asked.

"Estimated Time of Arrival is three hours." Ashley reported.

"Ashley and T.J. stay onboard. Carlos, Cassie and I will go down and assist the phantom ranger. We'll call for assistance if we need." Andros ordered.

* * *

As soon as the megaship arrived near the planet, Andros, Carlos and Cassie went down to the planet while T.J. and Ashley hid behind the moon.

All three rangers had their blasters out and Cassie had her scanner out as well, searching for lifeforms.

"I'm getting something three hundred meters ahead of us." Cassie reported. The rangers kept walking with their guns pointed forward.

* * *

The phantom ranger was running away from the Piranhatrons that were chasing him down. He had failed to reach Zordon, but at least he had been able to send a transmission out to the rangers. He couldn't cloak because his cloaking device was damaged in a fight earlier. As he was running, he was shot in the back and fell down. The piranhatrons quickly grabbed him.

It was Divatox that shot him in the back. "You just can't find good help anymore."

She was face to face with the Phantom Ranger who was being held up by the Piranhatrons. "So, you found out that Zordon was here. Well, that's too bad. But no matter. We moved him already. Any famous last words before you die?"

"You won't win this war." said the Phantom Ranger.

"That is such a cliche."

* * *

The rangers were close to the signal. They jumped over a bush and found a man lying there. Cassie rushed to help him.

The man had dark brown hair and green eyes. He wore black. Cassie demorphed.

"Cassie..." the man said faintly. Cassie realized who it was.

"Phanton Ranger?"

"Zordon's been moved..." he informed the rangers.

"Where?" Andros asked.

The Phantom Ranger did not answer. He did not blink. He did not breathe.

Cassie realized that he had died. She lowered her head and began to cry.

"I'm sorry Cassie." Carlos said to her.

"We better get off this planet." Andros said.

"We should at least bury him. We can't leave him like this." Cassie protested.

"Alright. We'll bury him." Andros gave in. They dug a hole with their hands since they didn't have any shovels. They carefully placed the body in the holed and covered it. Cassie made a cross with two sticks she found and some vines, and stuck it in the covered hole.

As the rangers walked to a clear area, Cassie's scanner made an alerting noise. She pulled out her scanner to see what it was.

"Guys I'm picking up a life sign. We're right on top of it." Cassie informed them.

Andros looked around.

"Déjà vu." Cassie said.

The rangers head a noise from above and rolled out of the way as someone fell from the trees above and landed on their feet. The person was beautiful woman wearing torn skimky clothes. She had long dirty and messy blonde hair past her breasts and bright blue eyes. She held a knife approximately ten inches in length. She tried to attack Andros, but he blocked. He looked carefully at the face of his attacker and realized who it was.

"Zel?" Andros asked.

The woman backed off. "Andros?" she said.

Andros put his blaster back into the holster and demorphed.

"I-I thought you were dead." He said.

She dropped her knife, walked over to Andros and hugged him.

* * *

A/N - Who's Zel?!!

So...I killed off a ranger....^^' Well, hey, it's not like I killed Ashley, right? It's just the phantom ranger.


	17. Zel

A/N – So now that Andros has a new girl in the picture, what's gonna happen? Is she a friend? An ex girlfriend? Will she hook up with anyone? Will she cause Andros and Ashley to break up? Oh the questions!!!!

JasonScottLeeFan – Every since your character death comment, I've been re thinking a (minor) character death I had in mind. Haha. Darn you. Also, I don't want to see characters die, but it makes for great drama and character moments…like I said last time.

* * *

Zel and the three rangers managed to find Divatox's base and steal a ship. They were in the atmosphere and headed for the ship.

Andros had a worried look on his face. "What's wrong?" Carlos asked.

"That was too easy." Andros said.

"Maybe they are just stupid." Said Zel.

"Not that stupid." Carlos said. The ship rumbled.

"What was that?" Cassie asked.

"We're taking fire." Andros informed them.

"Ashley, T.J., come in." Carlos called.

"Megaship here." Said T.J. over the radio.

"We're in a transport ship and coming in hot. We need cover." Carlos told them. They saw the Megaship come out from behind the moon and fire.

* * *

"Ashley, you pilot the ship. Bring us into firing range." T.J. ordered.

"Got it." She said as she headed to the pilot's seat.

As soon as the megaship was able to fire on the ships attacking the incoming transport ships, T.J. fired.

* * *

Andros used his superior piloting skills to dodge the shots that were being fired from the ship behind. Fortunately, T.J. and shot them all down and Andros was able to land the ship in the hangar bay safely.

As soon as the ship landed, the rangers went their separate ways. Cassie went to her quarters, Carlos went to the Bridge, and Andros took Zelana to the Infirmary.

* * *

T.J. set a course for Earth again at hyperrush five. They were in no hurry and so he did not feel the need to push the engines to their maximum capacity.

Carlos and Cassie came into the bridge, back in their uniforms.

"What happened down there?" T.J. asked.

"We were too late." Carlos informed them.

"We lost the Phantom Ranger." Carlos said.

"What do you mean?" T.J. asked.

"He's dead." Carlos explained.

"Where's Andros?" Ashley asked.

"In the Infirmary."

"Is he hurt?"

"No. Um, actually…"

* * *

Andros helped Zel get on the Infirmary bed. He took a scanner to check her vitals.

"How long have you been down there?" Andros asked as he continued to scan her.

"When was I assigned to that escort mission?" Zelena asked.

"That was almost three years ago." Andros answered.

"Three years?" She had a look of disbelief on her face. "I had lost track of time, but I didn't think it would have been three years."

"What happened?" Andros asked.

"I was shot down while on the escort mission. My ship was damaged beyond repair and nothing was salvageable. Thankfully, there weren't any hostiles on the planet until recently. Who were the other rangers? What happened to the others?"

Andros finished his scan and put the scanner away. He sighed. "Zhane is in a coma, but the others are dead. The two rangers you saw today are from Earth."

Zelena was heartbroken to hear that her friends had died. She lowered her head and tried to fight back the tears. "Where is Zhane?"

"In the ship. I'll take you to him after we're finished here."

"I missed you." Said Zel as she looked up at him.

Andros didn't respond.

* * *

Ashley was on her way to the Infirmary. Carlos had told her about Zel, but she wasn't sure what kind of history Andros and Zel had. When she walked in, she saw Zel sitting on the infirmary bed, half naked, and facing Andros. Zel turned her head and looked at Ashley. Andros turned his head to see her as well.

"Hey. I heard you were in the Infirmary." Ashley said.

"Yeah. Um, Ashley, this is Zelana."

"Hi. Nice to meet you." Ashley said.

"Hi. You must be the yellow ranger." Zelena said, her eyes focused on Ashley's necklace, which was given to her by Andros.

"I'm going to see how Cassie's doing." Ashley said before leaving.

"You gave her your mother's necklace." Zelena said with her head lowered.

"Yeah."

"I used to wish you would give that to me." She smiled. "How long have you two…"

"A month." Andros interrupted.

"A month, huh?"

* * *

Ashley rang the bell on Cassie's door. There was no answer, and Ashley was still locked outside.

"Hey Cassie, it's Ashley. Let me in." she said.

The door opened, and Ashley entered Cassie's quarters. She saw Cassie sitting on her bed in a fetal position, with tears falling down her face. Ashley went to the bed and sat next to Cassie.

"I heard about what happened to the Phantom Ranger. I'm sorry." Cassie did not respond.

Ashley put her left arm around Cassie.

"He was a good ranger." Ashley said, trying to comfort Cassie.

"Yeah, he was." She replied. "We have to make sure he didn't die for nothing."

"We will." Ashley assured her.

Cassie wiped the tears from her face. "So, have you seen Zel, yet?"

"Yeah." Ashley answered. "They looked like they have a lot of history."

"I'm sure it's nothing to worry about." Cassie said to Ashley. Cassie was now the one trying to comfort her friend.

"I know. I trust Andros."

* * *

After a checkup in the Infirmary, Andros took Zelena to the secret cargo bay in the Engine room. The lights turned on as Andros and Zelena stood at the door. As soon as she saw Zhane, unconscious, she covered her mouth with her hands. She slowly walked up to him and grabbed his left hand.

She turned to Andros who was standing on her left and asked, "How long has he been like this?"

"Almost two years." He answered.

"What happened?"

"He was injured during the final battle on KO-35. We managed to save him, but, he hasn't woken up since."

"Wait, KO-35. What happened? What happened to home?"

"It fell. Dark Specter sent just about everything he could at us. In the end, we evacuated the planet. We were scattered throughout the galaxy, and I have only found a couple of our people since then. I haven't heard anything about your family." Andros explained.

Zelana backed up against the wall and slid down. She let the tears flow freely. She couldn't believe what had happened. She was alone for years, and then rescued only to hear that most of her friends were dead and that her planet had lost a great war against Dark Specter. Andros helped her get back up and took her to one of the quarters in the deck below his quarters.

* * *

Ecliptor stood in front of five tanks. Each tank had a black ranger-like suit in there. They all looked the same, but they all had different colours. There was red, yellow, black, blue and pink.

"How much longer until they're completed?" Ecliptor asked.

"The last report said they would be finished within a month." Answered a humanoid with grey skin and spikes on his head like a Mohawk.

"A very long time, but I suppose the wait will be worth it." Ecliptor said "I will return to the Dark Fortress. Princess Astronema will be pleased of the progress."

* * *

A/N – I wonder what's going to happen next chapter…


	18. Tears

JasonScottLeeFan – I'm not sticking with the timeline of the original series.

* * *

Andros took Zelana to one of the empty quarters. She went into the shower while Andros got her some clothes. Zelana stood under the warm water as she tried to deal with everything she had learned. She had lost everything while she was away – home, friends, family, and Andros. She slid down and formed a fetal position. She couldn't believe that she had lost everything. Tears fell down from her cheeks and were washed away by the water that splashed on her face. The sound of the splashing water drowned out the sound of her sobs.

After mourning her loss, she got out of the shower and got changed. She lied down on the bed and tried to sleep, but her emotions would not allow her to sleep. She was still haunted from her loss. She got up, left her quarters, and headed to the mess hall to get a drink.

She got some tea from the synthetron and headed to the Bridge. When she arrived at the bridge, she saw Andros working, moving around from station to station.

"You haven't changed." She said as she leaned against the door.

Andros turned around. "Can't sleep?"

"I've gotten so used to sleeping on branches and rocks, so, I'm going to need some time to adapt to a bed." Zel walked over to the main control area and took a seat at the pilot's seat.

"Do you miss it?" Andros asked.

"A little." She raised her legs up to the chair, almost forming a fetal position.

"If the others weren't around, I would let you take the ship for a run." Andros said as he sat down next to her, at the communications station.

"You were always pushing a ship to its limits. I still remember that time we flew across the Boredum Sea. You almost got us killed." Andros said with a small smile.

"Remember our first time in the sky?" Zel asked.

"How could I forget? I still have the scar, but it wasn't nearly as fun as our first anniversary." Andros said with a smile.

Zel chucked. "We almost got court marshaled. It was a good thing Zhane lied for us."

Andros got up from his seat. "I'm going to go sleep. How about you?"

"I think I'll stay here a little longer. But don't worry; I won't break your ship." Zel said with a grin.

Andros smiled. "All right. Good night." He said as he left the bridge.

Zel waited for Andros to leave. "Deca, access the Karovan history records from the last three years to the present." She ordered.

"Records found." Deca reported a moment later.

"Display on screen." Zel wanted to know what exactly happened, and how it all happened.

* * *

Andros woke up from a long night's rest. Despite the events from the day before, Andros managed to sleep fairly well. He took a shower, got dressed, and headed to Zel's quarters to see how she was doing.

He rang the bell as he stood in front of her door. There was no answer. He pressed the bell on the control panel next to her door. There was no answer. "Zel, are you there?" Again, there was no answer.

"Deca, where is Zel?" Andros asked.

"On the bridge." Deca reported.

Andros walked up to the bridge to see Zel sleeping in the pilot's seat. He also saw the display monitor. It displayed historical records of the past three years. He walked over and picked her up with his arms. He took her to her quarters and laid her on her bed. As he turned to leave, Zel woke up.

"What time is it?" she asked.

"It's morning." Andros answered.

"I assume you brought me here?" she asked as she sat up.

"Yeah. I did." He turned back to her.

"I read about what happened to home."

"I know."

"Your father was brave. He was a great leader." She said.

"I know."

"Do the others know that Astronema killed him?"

"No. Get some sleep." Andros said as he left.

As soon as he left Zel's quarters, he headed to the mess hall to get some breakfast. When he arrived, he saw Ashley, eating alone. She turned and saw him.

"Good morning." She said. Andros walked over and gave her a kiss.

"Good morning." He walked over to the synthetron to get some breakfast.

"How's Zelana?" Ashley asked.

"She's fine." He got his breakfast and sat next to Ashley.

"How do you know her?" Ashley asked curiously.

"She used to be the pink Astro Ranger."

"I get the feeling there's more than just that."

"Well, she and I were together once." Andros admitted reluctantly.

"Oh.".

"Yeah. Ashley, I just want you to know that I don't any feelings for Zel anymore."

"Don't worry about it, Andros. I trust you." Ashley said reassuringly.

"Morning lovebirds." Carlos said as he and the other rangers walked in.

"Morning guys." Ashley said. The three rangers got their breakfast and sat down.

"Hey Andros, I went over the sensor logs, and I couldn't pick up any trails. Looks like we're back to square one." T.J. said.

"Maybe my contact on Onyx might know something. I'll set a course later." Andros said.

As the rangers were enjoying their breakfast, Zel walked in and stopped at the door.

"Zel!"

"I hope I'm not interrupting." She said.

"Not at all. Come have some breakfast." Carlos said.

She smiled a little. She ordered some food and sat down across Andros and Ashley. She watched as the couple shared kisses and held hands without ever letting go. She remembered the days when she used to be in Ashley's place, by Andros's side.

"I'm T.J." T.J. smiled.

"Hi. I'm sorry, but I never actually got your names." Zel said to Carlos and Cassie.

"I'm Carlos, and this is Cassie."

"Zelana, but everyone calls me Zel."

* * *

After breakfast, the rangers went up to the bridge to get to work.

"Plotting course for Onyx." Andros said aloud.

"Navigation and sensors go." Ashley reported.

"Communications go." Cassie reported.

"Engines are ready to rocket." Carlos said.

"Tactical is 100%. All systems go." T.J. said.

Andros activated the hyperrush and the Megaship left the solar system towards the planet Onyx.

* * *

Zel was bored. She had nothing to do, and she felt too emotionally unstable to be of use on the bridge. She was still struggling to cope with her loss. She had lost her morpher and was replaced. She had no home to go to either. But worst of all, she had lost Andros to someone else. She was restless. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Andros and Ashley together. It was driving her insane. She grabbed her chair and threw it against the wall, screaming angrily. She fell to her knees and cried.

* * *

Zel walked into the bridge and noticed through the viewscreen that the stars were whizzing past the ship. She knew they were in hypperrush. "Where are we going?" she asked.

The other rangers turned around. "Onyx. I'm going to meet with one of my contacts." Andros explained.

"Isn't Onyx overrun with Dark Specter's minions?" Zel asked.

"It's fine. They're just bounty hunters and low level fighters. They don't have any real allegiance to Dark Specter."

"Listen, Andros, can I talk to you alone for a moment?" Zel asked.

The other rangers left.

"What is it?" Andros asked as he stood up

"I'm leaving." She said bluntly.

"What? What do you mean you're leaving?"

"I-I can't be here. I can't be around you."

"Why? What are you talking about?"

"Because of Ashley! Everytime I see you, I realize I've lost you." Tears fell from her eyes.

"Andros, we are dropping out of hyperrush in ten…" Deca reported

Andros rushed to his station.

"five, four, three, two, one."

The ship dropped out of hyperrush and the stars no longer looked like lines passing the ship. Zel waited for Andros to pilot the ship to a safe area before continuing. Andros piloted the ship to the moon near Onyx and hid the ship there before standing up again and facing Zel.

"You were my reason to live when I was stuck on that planet. When I was on that planet, the thought of being you again kept me going. I spent so many nights dreaming that you would rescue me from that place. And now, now that you've rescued me, I almost wish you had never found me. You're with Ashley now, and, it's just killing me, and I feel like I have no reason to live. I thought I could handle it, but I can't. This morning, when I saw you with Ashley, I barely stopped by self from crying. I've lost everything. I can't deal with it, I just can't!" she sobbed. Andros walked over tried to hug her, but she pushed him away.

"Please, don't. It would only make things worse."

"I'm sorry. Zel, please don't leave. I don't want you to go." Andros pleaded.

"You've got a mission, so we'll talk when you come back." She said before leaving the bridge.

Andros just stood there, unsure of what to do. Ashley came in and saw the look of sadness on Andros's face. She hugged him.

"Are you okay? She asked.

"No." He answered. Andros sighed.

"I've got to go." Andros said. He kissed his girlfriend goodbye. "I"ll be back soon."

* * *

A/N - Did you think Zel would kill Ashley and try to be with Andros or something? What do you guys think of Zel? Do you like her? hate her? read, review, and then share with your friends and tell them to review :p. C'mon. Help me out. I don't even have 45 reiews :(


	19. Opportunity

Andros flew down to the planet Onyx on his galaxy glider. Like last time, he landed outside the town and hid is glider before going into town. Once he arrived at the salon, he sat by the bar again, next to Gowon.

"What can I get for you, sir?" the bartender asked.

"Terynic, no smoke." Andros answered from under his usual cloak.

"I've done a lot of research for you." Gowon said to Andros without looking at him.

"What have you got?" Andros asked.

"Darkonda was deeply involved with KO-35. He was responsible for the Barillian Plague. He also recruited some traitors for Dark Specter. He's even been the prime suspect in the assisnation of Chancellor Terom" Gowon reported.

Andros received his drink. Gowon passed Andros a coin.

"It's all in that memory coin." Gowon said. "Consider this one a gift. Just do me a favor and kill Darkonda."

"Okay. Any other news?" Andros asked.

"As a matter of fact, I heard Astronema is building some sort of ranger unit of her own."

"What?! How did she get morphing technology?" Andros wondered.

"I'm assuming Zordon. They're keeping him alive, perhaps for the morphing technology." Gowon speculated.

"One more thing. I heard Astronema went to crush a rebellion on Hemius Prime. Apparently she encountered the Gold Zeo Ranger, and now she is searching for him. I guess he pissed her off and she wants revenge. I heard she's searching for him on Abadoria. She's got a couple of Quantrons with her, as well as one mutant monster, so it's the best time to attack."

"How reliable is this information?" Andros asked.

"As reliable as I am." Gowon replied.

"Alright. Thanks." Andros said before he left.

* * *

Zel was in her quarters packing her bag. She didn't have anything of her own, but she decided to take a blaster, a communications device, some survival tools, and some clothes.

Someone rang the bell on her door. "Come in" said Zel.

The door opened and Ashley stepped in. "Hi." She said.

Zel turned and faced Ashley. "Hi."

Ashley noticed Zel's bag. "I thought you were going to wait til Andros gets back."

"I lied." Zel confessed.

"Please, don't go. Andros has already lost so many friends." Ashley pleaded.

"He doesn't need me. He has you. Besides, it's not like I'm dying." Zel.

"He'll be heartbroken to hear that you left." Ashley said.

"He'll survive. He's strong." Zel said. "But I'm not as strong as Andros, and I just can't stay here." She noticed Ashley's necklace again. She walked closer towards Ashley. She lifted the necklace with her hand a look a good long look.

"I used to wish Andros would give this to me." Zel confessed.

"Why didn't he?" Ashley asked.

"I wonder the same thing." Zel picked up her bag.

"Take care of him."

"I will." Ashley replied.

* * *

"One more Terynic. No smoke." Andros requested. "Gowon, do you know how many velocifighters Astronema has?"

"I don't know for certain, but I've heard rumors of a hundred wings. She's also got about a quarter of a million Quantrons produced as well."

"I think she's planning an invasion for Earth." Andros shared with him.

"Why do you think that?" Gowon asked.

"I was in Earth's orbit once, and a transport ship dropped out of hyperspace. I destroyed it before any Quantrons got down there. If Astronema wanted to invade Earth, she would need millions of Quantrons, and thousands of velocifighters." Andros said.

"I can get you some explosives if you want to take out the production facilities." Gowon offered.

"No need. I've still got some left from my last mission. But first, I'm going to follow up on the lead on Astronema." Andros said. He finished his drink and got up.

"Stay alive Gowon." Andros said.

"You too."

Andros left town and found his galaxy glider. He left the planet and headed back to the megaship.

* * *

Andros returned to the Megaship and was greeted by Ashley with a kiss.

"Find out anything useful?" she asked.

"Lots. But first, I need to talk to Zel." Andro said as he began to walk off.

Ashley grabbed his hand to stop him.

"She's gone, Andros."

"What are you talking about?"

"Zel left while you were on Onyx." Ashley explained.

Andros freed his hand from Ashley's grip and ran to her quarters. He couldn't believe she would just leave like that. Andros arrived at Zel's quarters and opened the door. It was empty.

Andros sat down and leaned against the wall in the corridor. He was soon joined by Ashley who sat down next to him.

"Are you okay?" Ashley asked.

"It was all my fault. She left because of me." Andros said.

"Don't blame yourself."

Andros inhaled and exhaled. He took a moment to get over the departure of one of his closest friends. He got up, and left for the mess hall with Ashley by his side.

* * *

He called the other rangers and they met up with him and Ashley in the Mess hall.

"Where's Zel?" Carlos asked.

"She's gone." Andros answered.

"What do you-" Carlos asked.

Ashley gave him a look, which Carlos deciphered as "shut up", and complied.

"My contact on Onyx told me that Astronema is on Abadoria looking for the Gold Zeo Ranger. Apparently, she's only got a couple of Quantrons and one mutant monster with her. This gives us the perfect opportunity to capture her." Andros explained to the crew.

"Why capture her?" T.J. asked. "If we kill her, that would create a lot of chaos in the Alliance, giving the time to strike some of their production facilities."

"We need Astronema for interrogation. She's Dark Specter's successor, so she'll know where Zordon is, among other things." Andros said.

"If we're going to do this, we're going to need one a really good plan." Cassie said.

"Abadoria is an abandoned desert planet. We'll fly down with our gliders and take out the Quantrons. Then, Cassie, Ashley and Carlos fight the mutant monster, while T.J. and I capture Astronema." Andros explained.

"Alright then, let's go." Ashley said.

The Rangers went up to the bridge and set a course for the planet Abadoria.

* * *

A/N - Aw, Zel's gone. Poor Andros. Another friend gone...at least Zhane's still around. Review!!!


	20. Capture

JasonScottLeeFan - you're just going to have to keep reading :p And thank you so much for your reviews

MCVC - thanks for loving my story. As for Zel, we'll see her again.

* * *

The Megaship was in hyperrush and almost its destination – Abadoria.

"T.J., as soon as we drop out of hyperrush, target any and all Alliance vessels and destroy them. We can't let them send any transmissions to Astronema or anyone else, or we lose this chance." Andros said.

T.J. exhaled. "No pressure, huh?"

The megaship dropped out of hyperrush and immediately fired its lasers forward toward the six velocifighters in orbit.

"Damnit. I missed one." T.J. cursed. He quickly fired again, and this time, managed to hit the last velocifighter.

Andros moved the ship closer to the planet to set it into orbit around the planet.

"Alright. Let's go." Andros said as he led the team down to the hangar bay. Along the way, he grabbed two sets of wrist band like objects which the other rangers assumed were cuffs, which would be used to contain Astronema after capturing her.

The rangers morphed and got on their galaxy gliders. The hangar bay doors opened and the rangers descended into the planet.

* * *

Astronema stood on top of a hill of sand. She looked all around to see any sign of the Gold ranger. She wanted to kill him personally since he had escaped from her grasp.

"My princess, he is not here. Perphaps we should just destroy the planet from orbit." Suggested the mutant monster. The monster looked like a giant humanoid wasp.

"It wouldn't be very satisfying. So why don't you use those giant eyes of yours and find him! Before I destroy you!"

"Megaship in orbit." The communications device in Astronema's hand said before breaking up. Astronema raised the radio up and looked at it. She was quiet for a moment before yelling out, "Back to the ship, now!"

* * *

Astronema and her escorts had almost reached the velocifighters. They were less than thirty feet away from them when they saw the power rangers coming down from the sky on their galaxy gliders. She stopped running and pointed her staff at the rangers. The others did the same.

"Fire." She ordered. They hit the black ranger's galaxy glider, which caused him to lose his balance and fall off.

* * *

"Carlos!" Ashley cried out. The rest of the rangers fired their astro blasters at the monster and the Quantrons. Then they fired their blasters at the velocifighters to prevent Astronema from fleeing the planet. The passed the wreckage of ships and turned around, heading back towards Astronema. They jumped off their gliders and engaged the enemy.

Cassie and Ashley rushed towards the mutant monster and Quantrons while Andros and T.J. rushed towards Astronema. Carlos joined Cassie and Ashley as soon as he got back up on his feet.

Andros lowered his blaster setting to stun and shot several shots; all were dodged or deflected. Astronema also blocked off attacks from T.J. as well.

Andros summoned his spiral saber and jumped into the air. He swung his saber down hard. Astronema tried to block with her staff, but the force of the saber broke Astronema's staff, and Astronema was left wide open for an attack by T.J.

Meanwhile, Carlos fought off the mutant monster. The monster was big and bulky, and therefore too slow. Carlos used his agility to hit the monster while dodging. Cassie and Ashley fought off the Quantrons quickly and aided Carlos in destroying the monster with their weapons.

Astronema kicked Andros, knocking him off his feet, and fired a shot at T.J., who was only two feet away from Astronema, with the top half of her staff, sending him flying, giving Astronema a chance to run away. Astronema ran as fast as she could in the direction of the explosion, hoping that there was still one ship capable of flying. Andros set his blaster to stun and took his time aiming. He fired and the shot hit Astronema in the back, causing her to fall forward instantly. Andros ran over to her to put the restraints on.

Carlos, Cassie and Ashley destroyed the Quantrons as well as the monster. They saw Andros with Astronema and T.J. on the ground.

"T.J.'s hurt!" Cassie cried as she rushed to him. Carlos and Ashley followed.

"Are you okay?" Cassie asked T.J.

T.J. groaned. "I feel like I got hit in the chest by a sledgehammer."

"Let's get you back to the ship." Ashley said. Ashley and Cassie helped him get up and supported him as he limped.

Andros picked up Astronema and carrier her on his left shoulder, and they returned to the Megaship, with their mission completed.

* * *

"Sir, we just lost contact with princess Astronema's group." A Quantron reported.

"What?!" Ecliptor walked over to the Quantron's station. There was nothing on the screen.

"Set a course for Abadoria! Now! And send all our velocifighters!" Ecliptor ordered.

* * *

Darkonda entered the Salon on Onyx. He ignored the customers around him and walked up to the second floor. He walked past the first couple of rooms and stopped in front of room X83Z. He knocked on the door. The door opened and a dwarfed man stood.

"Do you have it?" Darkonda asked.

"Yes. Let me get it." Said the small man. He went to the back of the room and got a small box. He took and back to the door and opened it in front of Darkonda, revealing a small squared piece of metal.

"This will reprogram any android, and subject them to your command."

"Good." Darkonda took the piece and gave the man a bag of coins. "One Thousand Zumories."

"Pleasure doing business with you." Said the man before he closed the door.

Darkonda looked at the small piece which he placed in his palm. "Soon my plan will be complete."

* * *

A/N - The next chapter is gonna rock. It's gonna be so crazy..I hope. Anyways, review please :D


	21. Interrogation

WenWen – How could you dislike Zel? It's not like she tried to kill Ashley and hook up with Andros.

JasonLeeScott. – Zhane will come in by the end of chapter 25. So bear with me.

* * *

The Rangers arrived back in the megaship. Cassie took T.J. to the infirmary to make sure he wasn't seriously injured, while Carlos and Ashley went to the bridge, leaving Andros to lock up Astronema in the brig. The brig was small, just big enough to fit one people, similar to a prison cell. There was no door, but there was a force field active to prevent escape.

* * *

"The ship has a brig?" Ashley asked after learning from Andros that Astronema had been placed there.

"Hey, how come you never stuck one of us in there when we first met?" Carlos asked.

"I couldn't let you guys communicate with each other. Besides, I've only got two, and they can only fit one person each." Andros answered. "Let's go back to Earth."

Andros set course for Earth at maximum hyperrush.

* * *

Cassie and T.J. were in the infirmary, demorphed. T.J. laid on the bed while Cassie scanned him to make sure there were no fractures or broken bones.

"Does it still hurt?" Cassie asked.

"Not as much. I just hope I don't have gym class this first semester, or else I'm going to be in a lot of pain." T.J. joked.

"It's our last year. It's going to be so tough. We have S.A.T.s and we have to go to space. I don't know how I'll get any studying done." Cassie said, slightly worried.

"Any idea what school you might try to get into?" T.J. asked.

"Well, I wanted to go to a good Music School in the east coast. How about you?"

"I don't care, as long as I'm close to you." T.J. said romantically.

Cassie smiled and kissed him.

* * *

The Megaship arrived back on Earth. It was the last time the rangers, excluding Andros, would have as much free time.

"Sorry for all the trouble." Ashley said to Andros. She was sitting on his lap on the Bridge.

"I don't mind." Andros replied.

"At least we'll have the weekends for missions." Ashley said.

"I don't think I'm going to go on any missions for a short while." Andros said.

"Why's that?"

"I'm going to be busy interrogating Astronema." Andros answered.

"Do you think she'll talk?"

"We'll see."

* * *

The Dark Fortress arrived at Abadoria.

"Search for lifesigns.!" Ecliptor ordered. He would be in so much trouble if Astronema went missing. Dark Specter would be furious.

"Princess Astronema's bio signature is not on the planet." A Quantron reported.

"Incoming transmission from Darkonda." Another Quantron reported.

"Darkonda? Put it through."

"Ecliptor? Where is princess Astronema?"

"She is away on a mission." Ecliptor lied.

"Lies. I know she is missing!"

"How do you know that?!" Ecliptor demanded.

"I have my sources. But I also know where Astronema is right now. Meet me on Onyx. This transmission is not secure so I can't say anything."

The transmission ended before Ecliptor had a chance to agree. Ecliptor needed to find Astronema, and fast.

"Set course for Onyx." Ecliptor ordered.

* * *

Astronema woke up from her long sleep. She opened her eyes and quickly realized she was not on the Dark Fortress. She shot up and looked around. She also noticed her restraints which seemed to have been deactivated, but were still on.

Her armor was missing, and was just wearing her black outfit and boots. She also noticed that her sleeves were cut off. Her staff was gone as well.

"Where am I?" she wondered.

The door opened and Andros walked in with his blaster by his side.

"You!" Astronema exclaimed. Andros ignored her and stood in front of a control console.

He set the blaster down on a table next to the control console.. "I'm going to ask you a series of questions. If you answer them truthfully, you'll live." Andros lied. "Where is Zordon?"

"I will never tell you anything." She replied.

"Where are your shipyards and Quantron production facilities located?"

"I will enjoy killing you once I get out of here."

"What is the Dark Fortress's weakness?"

"I remember your father. It was fun torturing him, making him beg for his life like a pathetic fool. I think I'll test your limits as well."

Andros looked at Astronema with eyes of anger and hate. He wanted to kill her, but he knew he shouldn't. He knew he had to try to get information out of her.

"This is your last chance before I hurt you. Where are your Quantron production facilities located?"

"Die." She said hatefully.

Andros pressed a few buttons on the console. "I'm going to enjoy this." He said before pressing one last button.

Immediately, Astronema fell to the ground, screaming in pain.

Andros pressed the last button again. He had electrocuted her.

"Where is Zordon being held?" Andros yelled furiously.

"You think this will make me ta-" Astronema interrupted by another shock.

"I am going to increase the voltage. I'll stop if you just talk." Andros warned.

Astronema got up slowly and stood defiantly, waiting for the shock. Andros dropped his finger onto the button. Astronema fell again. This time, her scream was louder. It could be heard throughout the deck. She grabbed her head as she screamed in pain. Her hair turned from the bright, blue color to blonde.

"Where is he?!" Andros screamed, too angry to care about her sudden hair color change. She didn't respond. She was still recovering from her previous shock. Andros shocked her again.

Andros stopped. Astronema reached into her outfit and pulled out a gold, oval locket. The metal locket was conducting electricity, making the shocks worse, so she took it out, so that it would touch the black suit which was nonconductive. .

Andros saw the locket. He activated the restraints on Astronema, which created artificial gravity, causing Astronema to fall to the ground immobilized. Andros lowered the force field and walked over to her cell. He grabbed the locket, tore it off of Astronema, and walked back to the control panel. He raised the force field again and deactivated the restraints.

"Give that back." Astronema barely managed to say.

Andros looked at the locket. It was the same as the one he had. He opened the locket and saw the two pictures in it. The two pictures were of Andros and Karone.

"Where did you get this?" Andros asked.

"Where?!" he screamed.

"I've always had it." Astronema said before passing out.

Andros's eyes widened in shock. He couldn't believe it. He wanted to deny it. He had finally found his sister. It was Astronema. He also came to the sick realization that he had just tortured his own sister, the one he spent his life searching for. Andros dropped the locket. His hands were shaking. He just could not believe what he had done. He didn't know what to do, so he left the brig. All he could do was think of the fact that he had just tortured his own sister, and enjoyed it.

* * *

A/N – So let's recap.

Astronema killed their dad, and Andros tortured his own sister. That's gotta mess up a family. Wait til the others find out.

Did you like it? I know it's sadistic kinda, and like mean, but still, all that drama, and the drama to come after.

BTW, do you guys want the titles to the upcoming chapters? Almost like a spoiler, but not actually a spoiler. Let me know please. It'll be like a tease by giving you the one word titles. Not like it'll spoil too much. Your choice.


	22. Breakdown

JasonLeeScott – I'm not sticking to the timeline. So, Terra Venture could happen before the end of dark specter's reign, and Zhane could wake up after zordon dies, etc.

* * *

The rangers, excluding Andros, started their first day of class. Fortunately, it was only the first day, so they were not going to have a full day.

Cassie, Ashley, Carlos and T.J. sat around a table at lunch.

"Do you guys think Andros can get Astronema to talk?" Carlos said.

"I don't know. I guess we'll see." T.J. said.

"Seriously, guys. Is this all we ever talk about anymore?" Cassie asked.

"Sorry." T.J. apologized. "I guess we've been too caught up in all this. So, Cassie, I heard about this great French place that opened up recently. Want to go?"

"Sure. Hey Ash, we should double date. That way, maybe we'll be able to get that night off." Cassie joked.

Ashley gave a small smile. "I'll go talk to him later."

* * *

School had finally ended and Ashley and the rangers went back to the Megaship immediately. Ashley went to the bridge, assuming Andros would be there like he always is, while the others went to the brig.

When Ashley arrived at the bridge, she saw that it was empty. As she turned around to leave, she saw something in the corner of her eye. She saw Andros's morpher, as well as his Astro blaster resting on the pilot's console. She walked over and grabbed the morpher.

"Ashley, I think you should come down to the brig." T.J. said over the radio. Ashley was unsure if what T.J. said had anything to do with Andros. She ran over to the brig, hoping that Andros was safe.

When she finally arrived at the brig, she saw Astronema on the ground, behind the force field.

"She's not…" Ashley began to say.

"No. Deca's picking up a pulse." T.J. informed her.

"We found this on the ground." Carlos said as he showed Ashley a gold, oval locket.

Ashley felt as though she had seen it before. She opened the locket and saw two pictures; one of Andros, and one of Karone when they were children. Ashley's jaw dropped in shock.

"What is it?" Cassie asked.

Ashley closed the locket. "I've got to find Andros." She looked up. "Deca, where's Andros?"

"In his quarters." Deca reported.

Ashley left the brig and ran to his room. As she ran, the thought of Astronema being Andros's sister ran through her mind. She couldn't believe it. She couldn't believe Andros's sister was so close, yet so far away.

She finally arrived in front of Andros's quarters. The door slid open, allowing Ashley to enter. The room had no lights on, which reminded her of the time she first came face to face with Andros.

"Deca, lights." Ashley commanded. The lights turned on. She saw Andros. He was sitting on the ground; his back leaned up against the side of the bed. His mouth was slightly open. His eyes were not looking at anything, but they were open. He looked as if he had lost his soul and was just left as an empty shell. His arms were parallel to the ground, supported by his knees. He loosely held a near empty bottle in his right hand. Another empty bottle was on the floor, on the opposite end of where Andros was. Ashley slowly walked towards him and sat next to him, on his right.

"Sh-sh-she…is Karone." Andros whispered. "sh-she's Karone." He repeated.

"I know." Ashley whispered. "What happened?"

"For years, I've searched for her, and she was right in front of my eyes the whole time."

Ashley slowly reached over to Andros's right hand, took the bottle away and set it next to her.

"For two years now, I've wanted to kill her, my own sister."

Andros rested his head on Ashley's shoulder.

"I tortured her." He confessed.

"I tortured my own sister." Tears began to fall from his eyes.

Ashley couldn't believe what she had heard. Her boyfriend, a power ranger, a fighter of good, tortured his sister. She was also blown away by Andros's crying. She didn't even know he could cry, since he was always so strong, or so she had thought.

"It's okay." Ashley said as she held him in her arms, trying to comfort him.

Andros began to sob. Ashley didn't know what to do, except stay with him.

* * *

Ecliptor landed his velocifighter just outside of town and waited for Darkonda.

"Hello Ecliptor." Said Darkonda from behind.

Ecliptor turned around to face the bounty hunter. "Where is she?" Ecliptor demanded.

"She's been taken by the Power rangers." He said.

"I've got to rescue her!" Ecliptor said as he turned to get back into the Velocifighter.

"No! You won't!" Darkonda said. He slammed the little metal piece into the back of Ecliptor's head. Ecliptor froze. His eyes went black, but returned to red a minute later.

"How can I serve you, master?" Ecliptor asked after turning around again to face Darkonda.

Darkonda laughed victoriously as he had now gained control of Astronema's most trusted servant.

* * *

Ashley left Andros's quarters and went to get some food for him as well as Karone. She went to the mess hall to get some food for Karone in case she might be hungry later. When she arrived at the mess hall, she saw her friends there.

"Ashley, what happened?" Carlos asked.

"Nothing." Ashley lied.

"Something happened. You've been gone for over an hour." T.J. said.

"Look guys, please, just drop it." Ashley requested, her voice slighty louder than usual.

"Sorry, Ash, it's just that we're worried about Andros." Cassie said.

"I know. I'm sorry guys. I just can't say anything." Ashley explained.

"Maybe it's time for you guys to know the truth." Said Andros from behind, which slightly spooked Ashley. Andros put his right arm around her shoulders and whispered, "thank you" into her ear. Ashley and Andros sat down together, next to each other, with their hands held together. Carlos moved to the other side of the table to sit with Cassie and T.J.

Andros looked at the other rangers seriously. "Astronema is my sister, Karone."

* * *

A/N - I guess Andros isn't some superhuman, unaffected by emotion supersoldier. So what's gonna happen next?!


	23. Identity

A/N - I'm writing chapter 30 right now. Well, not at this moment, but its my latest in progress chapter. chapter 29 threw a writer's block at me. I was about to upload the chapter, and then I had this great idea. So, that's why you're getting this chapter a couple of days late ^^'

* * *

Astronema slowly opened her eyes. She was curled up on the ground. She sat up and examined her environment. She was still in the brig, behind the force field, and her cuffs were still on. As Astronema lowered her head, she noticed her gold necklace on the ground in front of her, as well as a tray of food. She grabbed the necklace and put it back on.

She wasn't sure if the food was poisoned or not, or if it was laced with some sort drug. She brought the tray up to her face and sniffed it. She had not eaten for days and was very hungry.

"It's not poisoned." Said Andros who had just come in. Astronema shot her head up and looked at him with a suspicious face.

"It's your favorite." He said. "You used to love Renoas soup."

"Renoas soup…when mother made it…" Astronema furiously threw the tray of food at the force field. She stood up.

"No! I am Astronema! Supreme Commander of Dark Specter's army!" she shouted angrily. Andros sighed and lowered his head in disappointed.

"No, you're Karone." Andros reached into his uniform and pulled out his gold necklace. He opened it and showed her the two pictures of the boy and the girl.

"No. It can't be!" Astronema denied.

"You are. Remember the beach, where we used to play."

"No!" Astroneam screamed furiously.

Andros was disappointed enough for one day, so he left. As Andros left the brig, he saw Ashley who was waiting outside for him.

"I'm sorry." She said as she hugged him.

"It's okay. She just needs time." Andros grabbed Ashley's hand together they walked to the airlock, so Ashley could go home.

* * *

Darkonda was in his room, which was formerly Astronema's room. He had had her possessions removed from the room and taken it as his own. He sat on a chair reviewing classified information, such as the Psycho ranger project. He thought of many possible uses for the Psycho Rangers.

Ecliptor entered the room. "Master, you called?"

"Yes. I wanted to know the status of the Psycho project."

"It is complete. We have found the candidates for the project. They are being trained on Argeosis as we speak." Ecliptor reported.

"Good. And what about the hyperrush field generator?" Darkonda asked.

"It will be ready within the week."

"Good."

* * *

Astronema stood in front of the force field with her arms crossed. She was trying to devise a plan to escape, and kill Andros, if the opportunity arose. Then suddenly, she recalled a long forgotten memory.

(FLASHBACK)

A little girl ran around in the beach while a boy chased after her, splashing water.

"Stop it, Andros." Said the girl.

"It's just water, Karone." Said the boy.

(END FLASHBACK)

Astronema wondered where that memory came from. She couldn't believe that it was hers. For as long as she could remember, she was led to believe that she was an orphan, raised to be the ultimate military leader of Dark Specter's army.

(FLASHBACK)

The little boy kicked a ball around.

"Let me try!" the little girl requested. The boy reluctantly decided to let the girl try, and kicked the ball towards her. The girl tried to stop the ball, but she missed. The ball rolled past the girl and into the bushes.

"Go get it." Said the boy.

The little girl complied. She walked behind the bushes and searched for the ball. Then suddenly, she felt a hand cover her mouth, and an arm pick her up. She tried to scream, but her scream was muted by the hand covering the girl's mouth.

(END FLASHBACK)

Astronema realized who she was. She was Karone. She was Andros's brother. She was her father's killer, and the one who destroyed her home planet. Once she began to accept who she was, she also began to feel something she had never felt before – guilt. She began to recall the memories of her horrible actions during her time in Dark Specter's army. She remembered the atrocities she had committed. The countless lives she had taken, and the people she had tortured, especially her own father. She back up against the wall and slid down. A single tear fell from her right eye.

* * *

Yesterday was the first day in Andros's attempt to help his sister remember who she is. Although he failed yesterday, today was a new day. He showered, ate breakfast, and took a tray of food for Karone.

He entered the brig and saw Karone in a fetal position, sobbing. He lowered the tray of food on the ground, lowered the force field and rushed over to her, ignoring every logical reason why he should not lower his defenses.

"What's wrong?" Andros asked. He knew he should not have lowered the field, or allowed himself to be in such a vulnerable position, but he couldn't help it. His emotions had clouded his judgment.

"I-I remember…everything." Karone managed to say in between her sobs.

"All the things I've done. All the people that I've killed." Andros held her in his arms, as Ashley had done for him. Though he may not have been seen crying, he was crying a river in his heart. He hated to see his sister sad like this.

"It's not your fault." Andros said trying to make her feel better.

"It is. It is! I did that! I-I-I even killed our father!"

"It's okay. Everything will be alright." Andros said.

"No! It won't! Everyone hates me! I destroyed our home! Even you hated me!"

"No. I hate what Dark Specter did to you."

There were no more words. There were only tears.

* * *

It was the first full day of classes, and Ashley had trouble concentrating in class. After all, she spent most of yesterday trying to comfort her boyfriend who had discovered his sister was the one responsible for the death of countless lives, as well as the downfall of numerous planets. She felt as if she was living in a real life soap opera.

"Ms, Hammond." Ashley's history teacher called for the fifth time.

"Yes?"

"Is this boring you?" the teacher asked.

"Oh, no." Ashley answered.

"Well pay attention. It's not like you're saving the world."

The bell finally rang, and it was time for lunch. Ashley met with her friends outside, at their usual table. However, this time, the atmosphere among the rangers was more gloomy than joyful.

Ashley looked at her friends, who were not speaking, nor making eye contact with each other. She knew yesterday's events were bothering them.

"Will one of you just say something already?" Ashley demanded.

"Sorry, it's just, Astronema, being Andros's sister…" said Cassie.

"And, he…tortured her…" said Carlos.

Ashley looked to T.J. She expected him to say something just as the other two rangers had.

"What?" T.J. asked Ashley, who was looking at him.

"You don't have anything to add?" Ashley asked, noticeably upset.

"I'm just bothered by the fact that he tortured her. We're rangers. We're the good guys. We do not torture." Said T.J.

"Look, I agree that what he did was wrong, but how can you be like this to him? He needs us right now. You shouldn't be judging him. We may be rangers, but we're not saints." Ashley put her things in her bag and walked away.

"Ashley, wait." Cassie pleaded as Ashley walked away. "I'll go talk to her." She said as she got up and ran after her.

* * *

Karone had finally stopped crying. For now, she had managed to control her emotions, but Andros knew it would take more than that to recover from those horrible tragedies.

Andros went to the control panel. "Could you stand up, please?" he requested.

Karone complied. "What are you going to do?"

Andros kept his head down and pushed some buttons. "I'm just going to do a bio scan. I want to see if there are any implants in you. It would explain your sudden memory recovery, as well as your sudden hair color change."

The side walls, as well as the ceiling, emitted a white flash.

"The scan is complete." Andros informed her.

"Looks like I was right." Andros said.

Karone walked over to Andros and stood next to him as he displayed her scan on the holoprojector. Deca projected a holographic image of Karone's skeleton, but the skeleton was translucent, allowing Andros and Karone to see the implant in her brain.

"You have a nearly microscopic implant in your brain. Let's have a closer look."

Andros zoomed in on the scan image of Karone's brain. "This is a Nanite Chip. I've heard of these. It's a chip that produces nanites capable of almost anything. They can wipe memories and even increase aggression. It's at least a decade old, which isn't surprising. Unfortunately, we can't remove. I'm not a surgeon. I don't know the ability to perform the procedure."

"That would explain a lot of things." Karone said.

"See, I told you. It wasn't your fault." Andros said.

"Maybe you're right, but, I won't forgive myself just yet."

Karone went back to her area, behind the force field and ate her food. The siblings chatted about everything, from parents to recreation, to Andros's girlfriend, Ashley.

* * *

The rangers returned to the Megaship after school once again. They had settled their disagreements prior to returning to the ship, for the sake of the team dynamic. They dropped off their belongings in their quarters, and went to the bridge. When they arrived at the bridge, they saw Andros at the navigation station with Karone. They stopped. Andros and Karone turned and saw the other rangers.

"What's she doing here, Andros?" T.J. asked.

"Don't worry. She's helping us." Andros told the rangers.

"You can't trust her." Said T.J.

"We can. Karone was being manipulated by Dark Specter. She had a nanite implant." Andros informed them.

"How do you know it's not a trick?" Carlos asked.

"Because her hair changed color when I-I.." Andros couldn't bear to finish the sentence.

Karone put her right hand on Andros's left shoulder. "When he tortured me." She finished the sentence for him. "It deactivated the nanites."

Ashley walked over to Andros and stood by him.

"Ashley, you believe her?" T.J. asked.

"I trust Andros." She answered.

"Just hear her out." Andros pleaded.

T.J. thought long and hard. "Fine. We'll hear her out."

Andros pressed a few buttons on the Navigation station. The view screen displayed a map of an unknown solar system.

"This is the Cynum system." He zoomed in on the fifth planet.

"That's Orem 5. It's a Velocifighter and Quantron production plant, but it's also the production facility for other classified projects. Only a handful of people know about it, including Karone."

"How do you know she's not trying to trick us?" T.J. asked.

"Because whenever my instincts have told me that I could trust someone, they've been right. That's why I trusted you guys when we first met. Right now, my instincts are telling me I can trust Karone. If you don't want to be part of this mission, you don't have to be. This is voluntary."

"I'm in." Ashley said first.

Carlos walked over and joined Ashley. "You can't do this without the black ranger."

Cassie let go for T.J.'s hand and walked over to join the others as well. "Sorry T.J., but I can't let them go alone."

T.J. sighed. "What's the plan?"

* * *

A/N – what's gonna happen next? Is Karone/Astronema going to betray them? And when is Zhane going to wake up? Who knows?! Just keep reading and you'll find out. And please, review. The more I hear from you, the better I write this. My two reviewers excluded.


	24. Plan

A/N - Enjoy! I think you're going to like it.

JasonLee - I love you. Thank you for reviewing every single chapter.

MCVC - thanks for reviewing as well.

* * *

The power rangers stood in a prison cell large enough to fit them all comfortably. The light in the cell was from the lights above, not the sun, or the stars. The cell was cold and dusty, since almost no one else had used it before.

(FLASHBACK)

Karone and the rangers sat around the round table in the conference room one deck below the bridge.

"When we arrive at the system, we will open a channel and show my face to them. That will stop them from shooting us down once we get within their weapons' range." Karone said.

"Then, I will tell them that I've captured you all, allowing me to dock the ship in the facility." She continued to say.

"What about when we land the ship?" T.J. asked, interrupting Karone.

"You'll have to wear some restraints, but I will give you the key." She answered.

"I have some fake restraints that we can use." Andros interrupted.

"Back to what I was saying." said Karone. "I'll have the Quantrons take you to a holding cell so that I can present you as a gift for Dark Specter, even though I won't actually give you away to him. I'll do what I can to buy some time, so you can set the charges."

"When do we go?" Ashley asked.

"In three days, after school." Andros answered.

(END FLASHBACK)

"Ready?" Andros asked other rangers.

"Ready." They replied. The rangers took off the fake retraints that were on their wrists and took out their morphers. They morphed and shot down the two Quantron guards in the back of their heads, instantly rendering them obsolete.

Andros unlocked the door with the key card given to him by Karone. They left the cell and ran right, towards the production lines.

(FLASHBACK)

The Megaship dropped out of hyperrush and Karone immediately contacted the Facility on Orem 5. All the velocifighters in orbit flew towards the Megaship.

"This is Astronema. Do not fire or else I will make you suffer in ways you cannot even imagine." Karone warned.

There was a short pause.

"My apologizes, princess. We did not expect you to be coming here." Answered a humanoid with grey skin and spikes on his head like a Mohawk.

"Well, Telnar. Are you going to lower the shields and let me in? Or will I have to shoot my way in?"

"Yes princess. My apologies. I just need your validation code before I lower the shield."

"Nine, nine, dash, kilo, five five slash."

They waited to see if the codes were valid.

The facility lowered its shields. "You may enter the facility now, princess."

"Good. Astronema out." She turned off the video channel and the other rangers entered the bridge and immediately went to their stations.

"I'm taking us into the atmosphere." Andros informed everyone. The ship descended onto the planet and landed on the wide pad which was revealed when the facility opened the doors of the docking bay.

"We've landed." Andros reported. Everyone left the bridge, and headed for the airlock. They put on their fake restraints and stood in front of Astronema.

When the doors opened, Karone and the rangers saw the grey skinned humanoid from the display screen, as well as a dozen Quantrons.

"Welcome princess Astronema." He said as he bowed. "It is an honor to be in your presence."

Karone pushed Andros forward. "Move!" she commanded the rangers. They complied.

"Captain, take them to the containment cell." Karone ordered.

"At once, princess." Telnar said as he motioned the order to the Quantrons. They took the rangers and led them to the cell.

(END FLASHBACK)

The rangers had been on the run for ten minutes. They were following the schematics drawn out by Karone, which were downloaded onto the rangers' suits, which were displayed in their helmets.

"Okay, the main generator should be up ahead." said Andros.

(FLASHBACK)

The rangers were still in the conference room. Karone had gone over the plan of how to get in, and she was going over what the actual plan was.

"If we destroy the main power reactor, the explosion will trigger secondary explosions, destroying the facility." She informed the rangers.

"To get to the generator, you must take this route." She continued to say. She pressed another button which displayed a 3D map of the facility as well as a red line, which was the route that the rangers should take to get to the main reactor.

"The route that I have provided for you will be the fastest route. Once you plant your explosives…" she pressed a button and a yellow line appeared, connecting the main generator to the Megaship. "…follow the yellow line and you'll be able to return to the ship."

(END FLASHBACK)

The rangers finally arrived at the main power generator. It was a large room with five machines which resembled turbines at a hydro electricity plant on Earth.

"I think that's it." T.J. said.

"Everyone plant a charge on a generator." Andros ordered as he handed out small, black, metallic cubes to his team.

Andros took his cubed bomb and stuck it to the back of the generator, where no one would find it. As soon as the rangers planted the bomb, they followed the escape route. As they made their way towards the ship, the alarm went off.

"Crap." Said Carlos.

* * *

"What happened?" Karone asked Telnar.

"The rangers have escape." He reported.

"Have the Quantrons check the production lines." Karone ordered.

"What about the ship?" Telnar asked.

"I've disabled it. No need to worry." Karone lied. Then she took Telnar's blaster and began to walk away.

"Where are you going, princess?"

"To finish them off." She answered.

* * *

The rangers hastened their pace. They came to an intersection and stopped when they heard Quantrons. They tried to turn back, but they saw some coming. They were trapped between thirty Quantrons.

"This shouldn't be too hard." Said T.J. as he charged at the Quantrons in front of him with his Astro Axe. Carlos, Ashley and Andros fought off the Quantrons behind them while Cassie assisted T.J. with the ones at the front.

They quickly disposed of most of the Quantrons. Less than ten remained. T.J. swung his axe down onto the Quantron in front of him and destroyed it. Then he quickly turned his attention to the one behind him. He swung his axe from the left. The Quantron dodged the swing. T.J. swung again, but this time from the right. Again the Quantron dodged the swing. Frustrated, T.J. threw the axe straight forward and finally managed to hit the Quantron, instantly destroying it. T.J. went to pick up his axe.

"T.J.!" Cassie cried out. T.J. turned around and saw a Quantron with its blade held high, ready to swing. T.J. still did not have his axe in hand, and could not defend himself. However, before the Quantron could swing its blade, a shot was fired, and the Quantron fell forward. Behind it stood karone, with a blaster in her hand, pointed straight towards T.J.

She lowered the blaster. "Thanks." T.J. said to Karone.

"Let's get moving." Said Karone.

The others complied and they all ran towards the Megaship.

When they finally got to the hangar bay, they saw the Megaship, unguarded. "Okay, Karone and I will open the hangar bay doors. You guys get on the ship and get ready to leave." Andros ordered.

Andros and Karone made their way up to the control room while the others tried to get to the ship. The siblings entered the room and saw that it was empty.

"Something's wrong." Karone said.

"What is it?" Andros asked.

"Telnar is gone." Karone said as Andros accessed the controls to open the bay doors and lower the shield.

"We'll just have to keep an eye out." Andros said. "Come on. Let's go."

Andros and Karone made their way down to the hangar bay but stopped as soon as they saw the other rangers, held by the Quantrons. Telnar stood among them.

"Come out Astronema! You as well red ranger! I know you're here!" Telnar yelled out. "I saw you help them! I have already contacted the Dark Fortress! You will not make it out alive!"

Karone and Andros stayed put. They could not just go out and show themselves without a plan, or else they would all be captured.

"If you do not show yourself, one of these rangers will die!" Telnar threatened. He raised his blaster and pointed it at Ashley.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a streak of silver struck down on Telnar like lightning. Next to Telnar was a silver power ranger, knelt down with his weapon at hand. Telnar fell as the power ranger rose.

"I'm always saving the day." The silver ranger said egotistically.

* * *

A/N – So, Zhane is finally here! You happy now, JasonLee?


	25. Escape

Jasonlee - I don't read slash or comedy. Btw, I have a little gift for you in future chapters

* * *

The silver ranger used his weapon to quickly dispose of the Quantrons holding the rangers. The other rangers were free.

The silver ranger looked at T.J. "Why am I always saving you, Tanzos?" he asked.

Cassie, Ashley and Carlos looked at T.J. "Sorry man, but I'm not Tanzos." T.J. replied.

The silver ranger looked at him, confused. "Then who are you?"

"Zhane!" Andros called out from behind. He was coming over with Karone. Zhane turned around. He saw his best friend walking towards him, and Astronema behind him, holding a blaster.

"Andros, watch out!" Zhane cried as he began to run towards Karone.

Andros blocked his path and stuck his arms out to stop him. "Zhane! Stop!"

He complied. "What are you doing? That's Astronema!"

"She's my sister!"

"What?!"

"Look, I'll explain later. Right now, we need to leave." Andros ran towards the ship with everyone behind him. Zhane kept his eye on Karone, suspecting that she would attack them the moment she had an opportunity.

* * *

The rangers ran to the bridge, demorphed, excluding Zhane. The rangers took their positions except Karone. Zhane was running towards his station at tactical, but T.J. had occupied it.

"Hey, you're in my seat." Said Zhane.

Andros turned his back and saw that Zhane was standing behind T.J., trying to get on the tactical station.

"Zhane, stay off the stations. I don't know your physical condition, and I don't want you to strain yourself."

"But Andros, I-"

"That's an order!"

Zhane complied. He stood there, but away from Karone. He did not trust her. After all, she was the one who attacked KO-35. He just stood and looked at Karone suspiciously while the others did their duties on their stations.

"T.J., we're probably going to meet some resistance, so weapons free." Andros said.

"Got it." T.J. replied.

The Megaship lifted off and left the facility.

"Deca, activate the bomb." Andros ordered. As the Megaship flew into the atmosphere, the production facility on the planet's surface began to explode.

"Incoming Velocifighters." Ashley reported.

"How many?" Andros asked.

"I'm reading thirty." Ashley answered.

"Setting defensive lasers to auto-fire and firing all turrets." T.J. reported.

Most of the incoming velocifighters were quickly destroyed by the first wave of missiles.

"Andros, a ship just dropped out of hyperrush!" Ashley reported.

"On Screen."

Karone's mouth opened in shock. "That's the Dark Fortress! Andros, we have to leave, now!"

"It's firing weapons!" Ashley reported. The ship rumbled heavily. A couple of sparks flew out from the controls. Zhane and Karone barely managed to stay on their feet.

"Shields down to fourty-three percent." Carlos reported.

"Firing plasma missiles." Said T.J.

The crew watched as the missiles shot off towards the Dark Fortress. The missiles had hit the fortress.

"Direct hit, but no damage." Ashley reported.

The Dark Fortress fired again, but Andros managed to evade the shot. "Going to hyperrush 4." Andros reported. The ship entered hypperrush and escaped from an unwinnable battle with the Dark Fortress.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Andros got up from his seat. He walked over to Zhane. The two rangers simultaneously grabbed each other's right forearm and smiled.

"Good to see you again, Andros." Said Zhane as he demorphed. He was around the same height as Andros. He had short very light blond hair.

"Took you long enough to wake up." Andros said with a smirk.

"So, Andros, who's the new ranger?" T.J. asked. Andros turned around to face everyone.

"Everyone, this is Zhane, the silver ranger."

"Hi." He said. The other rangers responded by saying, "hi." However, Karone said nothing. She knew he was not happy to see her, and decided not to say anything.

Zhane's face turned serious. "We need to talk."

"Yeah, we do. Come with me." Andros said seriously. "T.J., you have command."

* * *

Andros and Zhane were in the corridors, walking towards the infirmary. "They're all dead, aren't they?" Zhane asked. "Tanzos, Mequia, Yorvin, I mean." He continued to say.

"Yeah. They died during the last battle. We lost the war." Andros informed him.

"And, Astronema is your sister?"

"Yeah. It was just as much of a shock for me."

"I can't believe it. Her of all people."

"I know."

"How long was I comatose?"

Andros stopped and turned to Zhane. "Two years."

Zhane could not believe it. "Two years? It didn't seem that long since my hair had barely grown."

"I injected you with something to slow down your metabolism." Andros explained. "I'm a soldier, not a personal groomer."

* * *

The Megaship was still in hyperrush and T.J. was in command of the ship.

"Okay, I've got nothing to do, so I'm going to study." Said Cassie as she stood up to leave.

"Where did Zhane come from?" Carlos wondered out loud.

"Who knows. We'll just have to ask Andros later." Said T.J. as he stood up as well. "Have you heard of him?" T.J. asked Karone.

"Yes. When I attacked KO-35, he was there. There were rumors that he had died in battle, but I guess they turned out to be false."

"I see." T.J. walked up to Karone. All eyes were on T.J. to see what he would do next. "Thank you for watching my back." T.J. stuck out his hand, which Karone shook.

"You're welcome."

"Okay, well, like Cassie said, we've got nothing to do, so we should study. I'm gonna go get my stuff."

Carlos followed suite, leaving Ashley and Karone alone.

"Aren't you going to study as well?" Karone asked Ashley.

"I already did. Besides, someone's got to keep an eye on things while T.J.'s gone."

"I'm going to get something to eat. Do you want anything?" Karone asked.

"No, I'm fine. Thanks though."

* * *

A/N - okay, so, Zhane's awake, and he saved everyone's butt. Guess you'll just have to keep reading to find out how it happened.


	26. Zhane

A/N - Time to find out how Zhane saved their butts. I'm going to start writing chapter 3_. It's going to be quite emotional.

* * *

Zhane laid on the bed while Andros scanned Zhane's head.

"So you just woke up, suddenly?" Andros asked.

(FLASHBACK)

Beep…Beep…

The life signs detector monitored Zhane's heart rate as he slept. He laid still on the bed. Suddenly, his heart rate increased. His right fingers twitched. Zhane's eyes opened wide, suddenly, without warning. He gasped for air. He breathed heavily, as if he was catching his breath. He lifted his head and looked around to see where he was.

"Computer, lights, dim." He said. Deca complied, and dimly lit the room. Zhane stayed in the bed for a moment, trying to regain control of his body. He moved his fingers, then arms, followed by his legs. He removed the tube that was stuck in his arm, and then sat up.

"Where am I?" he wondered out loud as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"You are in Cargo Bay X001." Deca answered.

Zhane looked around for a control panel. He found one next to the door and walked towards it.

"Computer, what is your designation?" Zhane asked.

"DECA."

"Who's in command of this ship?"

"Captain Andros."

"Andros? Computer, connect me through to Andros."

"Unable to comply." Said Deca.

"Why is that?"

"Captain Andros's com line cannot be found."

"Deca, are we in space, or are we on a planet?"

"We are currently on Orem 5."

"How many life signs on board?"

"One."

"Okay, Deca, show me all interior and exterior visual feeds. Authorization code Zhane, Alpha, nine, nine, five, five, three."

Deca complied and showed the live security feeds of the inside of the ship, followed by the outside of the ship.

When Deca displayed the exterior feed, he saw Quantrons holding four rangers, and an alien in front of them.

"Tanzos." Said Zhane, quietly, as soon as he saw the blue ranger.

Zhane went to the morpher vault to see if his morpher was there, and it was. He put it on and ran towards the exit, hoping to be able to make it out of the ship in time to save the rangers.

(END FLASHBACK)

"Yeah. I just woke up. I was kind of wondering where I was for a little bit. Then Deca explained the current situation and I went to save you guys, like I normally do." Said Zhane.

"So, Zel managed to stay alive by holding onto you, and then she leaves because you're with the yellow ranger?"

"Yeah." Andros answered. He completed the scan.

"It's like the universe is playing a sick joke on you." Zhane said as he sat up. "How's my head?"

"Inflated by ego as always, but otherwise fine." Andros told him.

"Okay, so, if we're all done here, I'm going to introduce myself to the pink-"

"Nope." Andros interrupted. "She's with T.J." he said with a smirk.

Zhane sighed. "Well, I'm going to make first contact with the women of Earth when we get there."

"Just as long as you stay away from my sister." Andros said under his breath.

"Hey, how did you find out Astronema was your sister?" he asked.

"She had Karone's locket. I also did a blood test, confirming that she is my sister."

"And you're just going to let her off the hook?" Zhane asked, slightly angered.

"What would have me do? She is my sister! Her memories were wiped; she was implanted with a nanochip! Astronema may have the same body as my sister, but she isn't my sister!" Andros yelled angrily.

Both rangers took a moment to clear their thoughts.

"Sorry." Zhane said without looking at Andros.

"No, it's okay. I understand how you feel."

"So, what do we do now?" Zhane asked.

* * *

The Dark Fortress stood in orbit of the planet Cynum. Darkonda stood in the bridge, waiting for sensor reports of the explosion of the facility.

"How much longer?" Darkonda asked.

"Reports are coming in now. It would appear that an explosion in the main reactor was the primary cause. It must have caused secondary explosions." Ecliptor reported.

"Send a transmission to Dark Specter. We need to notify him of Astronema's betrayal. Send him the security footage as well." Darkonda ordered.

"Yes, master."

* * *

Zhaned walked into the mess hall and saw Karone standing in front of the synthetron, confused. She was no longer wearing her Astronema outfit, and no longer had purple hair. She wore one of the ship's uniforms and had blonde hair. He walked up to the synthetron, ordered some food, and sat at one of the corners of the table. Karone saw the buttons Zhane pressed and repeated it. She got the same food as Zhane and sat at the same table, but at the corner farthest away from Zhane. They did not speak to each other as they ate. Finally, Karone spoke, breaking the tension in the room.

"Can I ask you something?" she asked.

"What?" Zhane asked, slightly annoyed.

"How long have you known Andros?"

"Since we joined the ranger program, twelve years ago." He answered.

"What was he like?"

"He's not much different than now. Sometimes, he was kind of emotionless. I guess you could say he was like a good Quantron with a brain." Zhane joked with a smirk.

Karone chuckled. Zhaned also chuckled. Soon, both were laughing and sharing funny stories, and forgetting about the bad history between the two of them.

* * *

A/N - hm...look like they're starting to get along. Wonder how close they'll be by the next chapter


	27. Together

Jasonlee - like I said, I'm not really keeping with the original series. I'm keeping the key components, like the characters, but little details like the cryo tube, i'm not using. Though now, i wonder if i shoulda used it. meh, too late now.

* * *

"Pass me the thermal cutters." Zhane requested as he stuck his right hand out. He was lying down under a control panel in the engine room with Karone as his assistant.

She handed him something that looked like a small blowtorch. "Thanks" he said from underneath.

"So, Zhane." Karone began to say. She was fiddling with the tools in the tool kit. "I think it's time we told Andros about us."

Zhane stopped working and moved from under the control panel to face Karone from the bottom of the floor. He looked at her and said, "No."

"He's eventually going to find out. We might as well tell him." Karone said.

Zhane got up. "Look, back home, I wasn't exactly the kind of guy someone would want to introduce to their sister. Andros knows this. You're his younger sister, who he's only had back for a month and a half. He wouldn't want me to be the one to be with you."

"Well I'm old enough to make my own decisions. He should respect that."

"He cares about you. He's just being a good older brother."

"I know. And, I don't want to lie to him." She moved closer to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "And I don't want to have to sneak around to do this." She kissed him.

Zhane was left with a smile on his face. He signed. "Fine. But let's wait until Ashley gets back. He's in a better mood when she's around."

"Deal." Karone said before kissing Zhane again.

* * *

Ashley came up to the Megaship. She had just finished the last of her midterms, and felt like spending some quality time with her boyfriend. She was greeted by Andros at the hangar bay. She kissed him and let him carry her books.

"How was it?" Andros asked.

"I don't care. I'm done!" she smiled. "And now I can spend some time with my favorite red ranger."

They dropped off Ashley's books in her quarters and went to the mess hall. The couple were enjoying their time together, kissing, holding hands, and talking.

"Hey Andros." Karone said. She and Zhane had come in.

"Hey Karone, Zhane." He replied.

"Zhane and I need to tell you something."

"What is it?" Andros asked.

"Zhane and I, are, well…"

"We're involved with each other." Zhane finished for Karone.

"What?" Andros saw Karone and Zhane holding hands.

"This is a joke, right?" he asked.

Karone shook her head. "No, it's not." She confirmed.

"No. No, absolutely not!" Andros said as he got up from his seat.

"Andros…" Zhane began to say.

"No, Zhane. I don't want you ever near my sister like that." He walked closer towards them.

"Andros, it's my decision." Karone said as she got closer to Andros.

"I don't care!" he said. "I'm not letting a womanizer like you be involved with my younger sister!"

"You can't decide that! If our father were here, he would let me be with Zhane!" Karone shouted.

"Well he's not here anymore! Who's fault is that?!" Andros immediately realized what he had said and tried to apologize.

"Karone, I-I'm so sor-" Karone slapped him hard before he could finish and walked away with tears in her eyes.

"Karone. Karone!" Andros called out.

"I'll go talk to her." Zhane said as he ran after her.

Andros just stood there, feeling horrible and remorseful of his poor choice of words. He took a step forward, but was held back by Ashley who grabbed his left hand.

"Give her some space. You're the one person who shouldn't talk to her right now."

Andros turned around and faced Ashley. "I'm so stupid." he said

* * *

"Karone! Karone, stop!" Zhaned called out as he ran after Karone in the corridors.

Karone stopped just outside her quarters. Zhane caught up to her and she buried her face in Zhane's chest.

"He didn't mean it. You know that. He loves you, and he's sorry." Zhane said, trying to comfort her.

Karone did not reply, but simply sobbed. After sobbing for a while, she finally calmed down enough to speak, but she still had tears in her eyes. They went into Karone's room to talk.

They sat at the edge of the side of the bed. "I can't help but wonder now, if he still blames me for what happened to our father."

"He doesn't. He loves you. He was just angry."

* * *

Ashley and Andros sat silent in the mess hall with their hands held together. Finally, Ashley spoke.

"Can I ask you something?" she asked.

"What is it?"

"What happened to your father?"

Andros sighed. "Before the exodus of my people, Karone, when she was Astronema, tortured and publically executed our father."

Ashley looked at Andros with a shocked face. She then rested her head on Andros's shoulder.

Zhane entered the mess hall. Ashley and Andros looked at him, wondering how Karone was doing.

"She's stopped crying, for now." He reported. Ashley got up from her seat.

"I'm going to go talk to her. Maybe you two should talk." She said as she left.

* * *

Karone was still sitting at the edge of her bed. She had finally stopped crying, but was still upset over what Andros had said. Someone rang the bell at her door.

"Come in." she said.

The door opened and Ashley stood at the door.

"Hey." She said as she walked in.

"Hi." Karone said, looking at her.

"Are you okay?" Ashley said.

"I think so. I'm doing better than earlier."

"I hope you're not too mad at him." Ashley said, trying to defend her boyfriend.

"I'm still a little upset right now, but, things will probably be back to normal eventually."

Ashley sat down next to Karone. She looked straight ahead, and not at Karone. "I've known Andros for almost half a year. In all that time, he's been very strong, emotionally. He's never shown any weakness, except once. When he found out you were Astronema, and that he had hurt you, he fell apart. He was so hurt when he learned that he hurt his own sister, the sister that he was searching for. Andros made a mistake today, but he's human. We all make mistakes. I just want you to know he really loves you."

Karone gave a small smile. "I know. You didn't have to give me such a big speech."

Ashley stood up. "Come on. Let's go to the mess hall. I'm sure your brother wants to apologize." Ashley stuck out her hand, waiting for Karone to take it.

* * *

Andros and Zhane sat across from each other. They avoided eye contact and did not speak to each other for the longest time.

"How long?" Andros asked suddently.

"What?"

"How long have you been involved with Karone?"

"Three weeks."

"That's a record, isn't it? I've never seen you with a girl for more than a week." Andros said before taking a sip of Terynic.

"Andros, Karone isn't just another girl to me. I care about her. I know you've heard me say that to all the girls I've been with, but, I mean it. I really like her."

Andros looked at half empty cup of Terynic. "If you hurt her, I'll kill you."

"You're kidding, right?" Zhaned asked.

Andros did not reply. Instead, he took another sip.

"I don't think he is." Ashley said from the door, with Karone behind her.

"Karone." Andros got up and slowly walked up to her.

"Karone, I-" Once again, Andros was interrupted by Karone. However, this time, instead of slapping him, she put her right index finder on Andros's lips to shut him up, and then hugged him. The siblings just stood there, hugging. There was no need for words.

* * *

The day passed and whole crew was back on the ship. They were going on another mission. Karone had provided the rangers with co-ordinates of bases and production facilities, allowing the rangers to deal a large blow the Dark Specter's forces. The objective of the next mission was to destroy a shipyard in the Obanum system. They were all on the bridge, doing a systems check before leaving Earth's orbit.

"Andros, I am detecting multiple contacts." Deca reported.

"What is it?" Andros asked.

"They appear to be asteroids of various sizes on a collision course with Earth."

"Display on the view screen." Andros ordered. Deca complied. The view screen showed thousands of rocks and ships coming towards the ship. They were already past the moon.

"How did they get so close without us detecting them?" Zhane asked.

"Hyperrush. I'm reading proton trails on the tails of those asteroids. They were in hyperrush, that's why they weren't detected til just now." Ashley reported.

"But asteroids can't go into hyperrush." Carlos said.

"It must have been Dark Specter." Karone said.

"We have to stop it." T.J. said.

"Andros, it looks like they're coming towards every hemisphere of the planet, not just in front of us." Ashley reported. She was also monitoring the sensors.

"Defense lasers, main batteries, and all missile tubes are operational. Ready to fire the first salvo on your command." T.J. reported.

"Cassie, I need you to contact Nasada." Andros requested.

"Got it." Cassie replied.

"T.J., weapons free."

Andros stood at the back of the bridge and gave out commands as Zhane maneuvered the ship to avoid all the rocks coming towards the Megaship.

"First Salvo, fire." Andros ordered. The Megaship fired a spread of missiles that destroyed some of the asteroids in front of them.

"Firing." T.J. reported.

The Megaship rumbled, and sparks flew.

"Shields are down to 90%" Karone reported.

"Zhane, don't break my ship. T.J., fire the second salvo. Carlos, Divert all available power to engines and shields when power goes down to 60%." Andros ordered. "Ashley, what's our progress?"

"We've destroyed half of the asteroids in front of us." Ashley reported.

"We're not going to make it." Andros said quietly.

The ship rumbled once more, this time violently. Sparks flew again. Andros was knocked off his feet, but he quickly got back up.

"What was that?" Zhane asked.

"A really big asteroid." Karone answered.

"We lost engines. Shields are down to 10%" Karone reported.

"We've lost power on deck twelve. We're venting air as well. I'm sealing off the area." Carlos reported.

"Damnit!" Andros cursed. The Megaship was past the asteroids and could not turn around to fire on the threat moving towards the Earth. All the rangers could do was watch from the view screen as the fiery rocks descended towards the planet.

* * *

A/N - holy hannah. I can't believe the Earth is going to get hit by asteroids!! What's going to happen?! Who's going to live?! Who's not going to make it?! Will the Hollywood sign still be there?!


	28. Impact

A/N - Enjoy and review!!!

* * *

It was chaos. People were running around, others frantically typing on their keyboards. There was also a lot of chatter, and one person above the chatter, giving out orders. It was the control room at Nasada. The rangers had just warned them about the sudden asteroid detection. However, Nasada didn't need the warning. They had been able to detect them with their own satellites the moment the asteroids dropped out of hyperrush.

"Sir, Colonel Johnson has arrived at Angel Grove's downtown area and is evacuating the people." A white shirted man reported.

"Okay. Will someone figure out the trajectory of the asteroids, please?! Come on people!" yelled out a bald man also wearing a white shirt.

"Sir, those asteroids are going to hit all around the planet. All four hemispheres are going to be hit." Mr. Reed reported.

"How bad is it going to be?" asked the bald man.

"There are enough asteroids to reduce New York City to rubble."

"God help us all. Get me the President!"

* * *

The rangers were on the bridge of the Megaship. They had only managed to destroy less than a third of the rocks headed towards Earth. Their ship was damaged and had lost its engines. They were drifting in space.

"Zhane, we've got two velocifighters in the hangar bay. Let's go. Everyone else, stay here." He ordered before running towards the hangar bay with Zhane.

Once they reached the hangar bay, they got into the velocifighters and took off.

"Concentrate your fire on the larger asteroids. If we can break them up small enough, they'll burn up during atmospheric entry." Andros advised as the two rangers flew towards the asteroids.

"Roger." Zhane replied as he flew next to Andros.

They fired at all the large rocks they could find, but it was still not enough. They only had two minutes left.

"We're not going to make it." Zhane said.

"We can't give up." Andros said.

"Andros, I'm picking up something on the scanner. It's not an asteroid. It's a lightsecond away from us." Zhane reported.

"Can you get a visual?" Andros asked.

"No. I won't make it in time either."

"Ashley, Zhane found something in his scans. They're not asteroids. Search and scan them." Andros ordered.

"Guys, come back. You're almost in the atmosphere." Cassie informed them.

"Andros, we've done all we can. We have to go back." Zhane pleaded.

Andros slammed his controls in frustration. "Zhane, Andros. Turn back. Time to go home."

The two rangers returned to the Megaship, disappointed by their failure as the asteroids descended onto the earth.

* * *

"Everyone evacuate! Get to a tunnel!" Colonel Johnson shouted over a megaphone. The streets were chaotic. Roads were jammed with cars.

Then, everyone saw a flash of light in the sky and looked up. They saw shooting stars. Everyone screamed in fear and ran, leaving their cars and their belongings behind.

"Be safe, T.J., Wanda." The colonel said quietly as he ordered his men to flee and head for shelter.

One of the asteroids went straight through four tall buildings in the downtown area. The tops of the buildings collapsed, falling onto the ground, where the people were.

* * *

Andros and Zhane returned to the bridge. They were hugged by their girlfriends.

"Were you able to scan the foreign object?" Andros asked.

"I couldn't get much. All I got was that it was metallic, and small, around the size of an escape pod." Ashley reported. She had gone back to her station.

"Where did it crash?" Andros asked.

"I lost the signal when it entered the atmosphere. There must have been a lot of interference from the impact. But, I've calculated the trajectory and determined that it landed somewhere in Turkey." Ashley said. "It's not Russia, but it's still big. It's going to be hard to find whatever that thing is."

"Andros, I'm picking up casualty reports from Earth." Cassie reported.

* * *

"Reports are coming in from all over the world." Reported a white shirted man with glasses. "We've got hits in Chicago, Rio, Moscow, Johannesburg, Bangkok, and even Hawaii."

"Relay the reports to the President. Mr. Reed, find out what happened. Why didn't we detect them sooner?"

"I'm not sure sir. They would've had to have been moving at an extremely fast speed. Perhaps we should contact the power rangers. They might know something." Mr. Reed answered. Of course, Mr. Reed was actually Zios, a Karovan who had come to Earth to develop the Turbo morphers for Zordon. He knew why the asteroids were not detected. They were in hyperrush.

* * *

"All right. Zhane and I will go look for the unknown target. Karone, you stay here. I need you to be our eyes and ears. The rest of you, go down to Angel Grove, help out in any way you can." Andros ordered. The rangers ran to the hangar bay as Karone stood alone in the bridge, hoping for the best.

The rangers morphed and flew to Earth on their galaxy gliders. Andros and Zhane went right, towards Turkey, while the others went left, towards Angel Grove.

* * *

Colonel Johnson woke up with the sun glaring down at him. He blocked the sun with his hands. He sat up and looked around, but couldn't get a good view, so he stood up. He had miraculously survived, unharmed, excluding the small cuts and bruises. Some of his subordinates however, were not so fortunate.

Colonel Johnson looked around. There was rubble around the streets, smashed cars, bodies, and small fires. He saw an arm under one of the many piles of rubble. The sleeve was similar to a standard military issued green camouflage uniform. Colonel Johnson rushed towards the arm.

"Are you alright?" He asked, but did not receive an answer. Colonel Johnson used all his strength to lift the slab of concrete that was on top of the soldier, but failed. He took a deep breathe and tried once again. Suddenly, the slab of concrete felt light, and was easily lifted away. He opened his eyes and saw the blue power ranger next to him.

"Thank you." The colonel said.

"Are you all right, sir?" T.J. asked his father. The black ranger attended to the soldier who was just freed from the slab of concrete.

"Yes, but my men, and my family. I have to make sure they're okay."

"We'll help you find your men, but your son is fine, so there's no need to worry about him."

"What do you mean? How do you know?" the colonel asked.

T.J. demorphed in front of the colonel.

"T.J.?"

"Hi dad. I'm the blue ranger." He said.

"You-you're the blue ranger? So when you said you went camping-"

"I was in space." T.J. said calmly.

"He's alive, but critical!" Carlos informed the Johnsons.

"We have to get him to a hospital." T.J. said as he remorphed. He and Carlos placed the wounded soldier on the galaxy glider. T.J. got on as well.

"I'll be back with help." T.J. said as he flew off towards the nearest hospital. T.J.'s father watched as his son flew off before going back to helping the rangers search for survivors.

* * *

Andros and Zhane were just outside of Istanbul, Turkey.

"Karone, can you send us the locations of all the crash sites?" Andros asked over the com.

"Andros, there are hundreds of crash sites. Let me narrow the search a little bit."

"No. The target was metallic, so the impact crater would be larger or smaller depending on the kind of metal. We weren't able to get a rough estimate of the dimensions."

"Sending you all the co-ordinates." Karone said as she pushed several buttons.

"Thanks. How are the others doing?"

* * *

T.J. returned to the scene alone. "We're going to have to take the injured to the hospital ourselves. All ambulances are out right now, and the hospital is jam packed. I also talked to mom. She's fine." He got off his galaxy glider and went to help his dad find survivors.

"So, how long have you been a power ranger?" T.J.'s father asked.

"Since we came to Angel Grove." T.J. answered.

"I guess it was a good thing I got transferred here." His father said. "I always said I wanted you to serve, but, I've got to say, this is even better. I'm proud of you, son."

* * *

Andros and Zhane went to every crater in Turkey, but failed to find the mysterious metallic object. They were hovering over the ruins of an old city which was no longer being inhabited.

"Karone, we've checked every crater, and we were unable to find the target." Zhane reported.

"Come back to the Megaship. We'll run more scans from here. I don't think there's anything else you guys can do." Karone said.

"We'll help the people out a bit before returning to the ship. Tell the others they can stay on Earth. I think we're going to have delay our other mission for the time being." Andros said.

"Be safe." Karone said.

* * *

Darkonda stood on the bridge of the Dark Fortress. "They should have made contact by now." He said.

"Perhaps they are in hiding for the time being." Ecliptor said.

"I am receiving a coded transmission." A quantron reported.

"Display it." Darkonda ordered. It was a text message which said, "Kosin landed. In search of others."

"Looks like our plan worked." Darkonda said with an evil smile on his face.

* * *

A/N - Oh, so it looks like it was Darkonda's plan, not Dark Specter's. And who's Kosin? hm...and who is he looking for?


	29. Aftermath

A/N - Who's Kosin?

* * *

The Rangers had helped find more survivors and the sun was setting. The rangers were tired and in need of rest. They all went to their own homes to make sure their families were okay.

Ashley saw the lights of her house on, and hoped for the best as she walked up to the door and opened it. She heard footsteps come closer to her. Her parents and brother came from the living room. Ashley saw her mother, who was crying. She rushed towards Ashley and hugged her tightly. Her father came in for a hug as well.

"We thought we lost you." Her brother said. Ashley began to cry as well.

"I'm right here. I'm fine."

* * *

Andros was eating his breakfast in the mess hall with Zhane and his sister. Andros was looking at a work pad, which displayed all the parts of the ship that required repairing.

"We've got a lot of work to do." Andros said.

"Man, I wish we could just trade in this bucket of bolts for the Dark Fortress." Zhane sighed.

"Well, aside from being slow, it was a good ship." Karone said.

"We need to get to work, quickly. This is the best time for Dark Specter to invade Earth." Andros said seriously.

"I doubt it." Karone said. "We've damaged a lot of their production facilities. Even the bounty hunters on Onyx wouldn't be enough to take over Earth. Also, the Alliance's forces are stretched quite thin."

Andros got up from his seat. He had finished his breakfast. "I'm going to get to work. We're dead in space, which makes us sitting ducks." He cleared his tray and went to the engine room.

"He's got a girlfriend, and he found his sister, yet he still doesn't relax." Said Zhane.

Karone had a look of concern on her face. "What's wrong?" Zhane asked.

"I just have a feeling something bad is going to happen." She said.

"Don't worry. Things will get better."

"I still can't shake the feeling something bad is going to happen."

* * *

Ashley woke up in her bed, well rested, and happy as usual. She put on her yellow robe and went downstairs for breakfast. She saw her mom making her favorite breakfast – Belgian waffles. Ashley sat down in between her brother and father and ate the plate of waffles that her mom had just set in front as she watched the news from the television near the table with her family.

"So far, the national casualty estimates has reached one million, while the current world total is seven million. Astrophysicists are trying to determine how the asteroids suddenly got so close to Earth undetected. The U.S., Russia, and China have increased military activity in response to the meteor shower. Some countries such as Egypt have declared Martial Law as a result of the civil unrest and rioting. Religious leaders are holding prayer vigils. Some religious figures believe this may be the first sign of the apocalypse." The female news anchor on the television screen reported.

"Nasada really sucks at tracking space rocks." said Ashley's brother.

"There are lots of rocks in space." Ashley said in Nasada's defense.

"What I want to know is where the power rangers were." Ashley's mom said as she plated the last of the waffles, giving Ashley a slightly uneasy feeling.

* * *

A woman with long blond hair stood in an alley in Istanbul. She wore a tight, black jumpsuit. She leaned against the wall and looked at the scanner in her hand.

"What took you so long?" she asked. A man, also wearing a tight black jumpsuit emerged from the shadows. He was tall and had short brown hair and green eyes. He had an athletic build.

"I picked up Torzen along the way." The man replied. Another man also emerged from the shadows. He was much taller and more muscular than the first man, and also had brown hair which were dreadlocks, but had brown eyes.

"Yeah, I noticed." She said as she waved her scanner.

"Where to next, Kosin?" Torzen asked.

"Yes, please. Tell us oh mighty leader, where do we go from here?" the woman said sarcastically.

Kosin looked at his scanner. "Looks like Tenkar is closest, but he's probably on his way to find Morana, so we'll look for her.. And Kelsa, don't ever speak to me like that again, or I'll kill you."

The three strangers walked in to the street to look for transport.

* * *

The rangers returned to the Megaship after a night with their families. They sat around in the conference room.

"Zhane and I went to Turkey, but we couldn't find whatever that unidentified object was. That either means it somehow changed its trajectory after it entered the atmosphere, or it landed, which is the more likely." Said Andros.

"It could also have burned up in the atmosphere during atmospheric entry, but we don't know since we don't know the composition of the metal." Zhane added.

"Karone, do you have any idea what it could have been?" T.J. asked.

"No. When I planned the invasion of Earth, I never included asteroids in it. It's not something Dark Specter would do either."

"I'll talk to Gowon. Hopefully he'll have heard something. We also received a message from Nasada. They want us to debrief the president." Said Andros.

"The president? Wow." Said T.J., shocked in amazement.

"T.J. and I will go down. I want everyone else to work on the repairs. We're dead in space, and this is the perfect opportunity for Dark Specter to attack" Said Andros.

* * *

"So you think Manchester United is going to win this year?" asked a drunk British man. He was in a bar with his friend.

"How can you be talking about that stuff after yesterday?" the drunken man's friend replied.

"Well we need something good to talk about. My stocks have plummeted, and I've lost everything."

"That's a bummer, mate. Here, let me buy you anoth-" the man was unable to finish his sentence because his attention was caught by a beautiful woman with long red hair and green eyes in a tight black jumpsuit. Everyone in the pub looked at her, as if she was stranger that had just walked into a family's house. The woman sat on the drunk man's lap and looked at him.

"Aren't you going to buy me a drink?" she asked seductively.

The drunken man was stunned by her beauty, and could not speak properly.

"Hey, a pint for the lady." The man ordered. He turned his attention back to her. "So, uh, what's your name?"

"Morana." She answered before she suddenly snapped his neck.

Everyone screamed and began to run. She grabbed a knife from the counter and then grabbed the dead man's friend by the throat. She sat him down on the stool and then hit him in the back of the neck, breaking his Spinal cord and paralyzing him. She reached over and took the mug of beer that was poured for her and tasted it.

"Not bad." She said. She then stood in front of the paralyzed man with a smile as she sat there, terrified of what she would do next.

"I thought I'd find you here." Said a man with a deep voice.

Morana smiled. "Well, you know I like to have fun, Tenkar." She said as she set down her beer, and turned around with a knife in her hand. Tenkar had short black hair and brown eyes. He, like Korsin, had an athletic build, and was just as tall as him.

Tenkar walked closer to Morana and kissed her. "Want to join me?" she asked.

"No. This one is yours. You have fun." He said. Morana turned around and slit the man's throat. She then tossed the knife away and walked out of the pub with Tenkar.

* * *

A/N - Now that's a kind of girl you don't want to date


	30. United

JasonLee - you'll just have to keep reading to find out.

* * *

T.J. and Andros took the shuttle down to Earth. The Megaship was still dead in space, near the moon's orbit, vulnerable to attack. They landed at Nasada Spaceport, and were once again greeted by Colonel Johnson. The two rangers were escorted into the main command room of the spaceport. Once inside, they were led into a conference room that was sound proofed and surrounded by glass. In the room was a long and somewhat oval shaped table. At the end of the table, opposite to the door, was a large display screen. The rangers, obviously in their morphed forms, took a seat at the table, along with Colonel Johnson, and waited for others to join the meeting.

* * *

Morana and Tenkar looked down on the city below them. They stood alone, at the top of a tall building in London. "I'm bored." Said Morana.

"They'll be here soon." Said Tenkar..

"Like right now." Said a voice from behind them. Morana and Tenkar turned around and saw Kelsa, Kosin and Torzen standing by entrance to the floor.

"Took you long enough." Said Morana.

"It's a big planet." Said Kosin.

"Whatever. Let's just go already." Said Morana in a bored tone.

* * *

T.J. and Andros sat around the table along with Zios, Colonel Johnson, and Dave Howard, the director of Nasada. The rangers had finished debriefing the president, the joint chiefs, and everyone else who was listening about The United Alliance of Evil, and the future incoming attack on Earth.

"So, this Dark Specter has no interest in negotiations?" asked the president, who was visible in the main screen.

"I'm afraid not." Andros answered.

"How strong is his military force?" asked the Secretary of Defense, who was on another screen.

"Dark Specter's general invasion strategy is to overwhelm with numbers. However, Earth is the only planet with more than three billion inhabitants. So, it's going to take a long time for Dark Specter to build an army capable of invading Earth. That will give you time to prepare any sort of defense against his forces." Andros explained.

"Will our weapons work?" asked the president.

"I believe they have a good chance of doing some damage. However, they still have superior technology." Andros answered. "The people of this world need to unite against Dark Specter. You need to co-ordinate your attacks. You need to stand together, or you'll die alone. I've seen worlds fall because they were not united."

* * *

Darkonda stood on the bridge of the Dark Fortress with Ecliptor by his side.

"A ship has just dropped out of hyperrush." A Quantron reported. Darkonda watched as the Abyss, Dark Specter's ship, dropped out of orbit.

"Receiving a transmission." Another Quantron reported.

Dark Specter appeared on the screen. "Why have you called me here, Ecliptor? And what are you doing on the Dark Fortress, Darkonda?"

Darkonda smiled evilly and said, "Fire."

The Dark Fortress fired every weapon at the Abyss, a ship that was not even half the size of the Fortress.

"What is the meaning of this?" Dark Specter asked.

"Your reign has come to an end." Darkonda said to Dark Specter through the view screen as he watched the Abyss being destroyed. "It's time for a new god to rule the universe."

"Set course for Teram Nok. We're going to get Zordon." Darkonda ordered.

* * *

T.J. and Andros returned to the bridge of the Megaship after the debriefing and were welcomed back by the crew.

"How did it go?" Carlos asked.

"Fine, I guess." T.J. answered.

"How are repairs going?" Andros asked.

"A little slow, but we should be done by the week." Zhane answered.

"We've got engines and shields, but we've still got to repair the hull damage on deck twelve." Said Karone.

"That's good. I'll get to work on that right now." Said Andros.

* * *

Torzen, Kosin, Morana, Kelsa, and Tenkar stood across the street from the Pentagon, in Virginia.

"Can't be too hard. They have primitive technology." Said Morana.

"Underestimating your foe was the reason you were captured back on KO-35, Morana." Said Kosin.

"I need to get my hands on one of their computers." Said Kelsa.

"Well Morana, I guess you're going to have some fun tonight." Said Kosin.

"Let's go." Said Kosin.

* * *

Andros was in the airlock, waiting for re-pressurization. He had begun making repairs to the hull of his ship. He opened the door into the corridor of deck twelve and demorphed. It was late, and Andros expected everyone to be asleep. He walked up to the bridge to do a little more work before going to bed. When he arrived, he saw Ashley there, sitting at one of the stations.

"I thought you went down with the others." He said.

Ashley pressed a couple of buttons and turned around. "I thought I'd stay and help you out a little."

"Your parents are probably going to be worried, even more than usual since the attack." Said Andros.

"I just wanted to make sure you didn't work too hard." Said Ashley as she got up and walked closer to him.

"Thanks, but I'm fine. You should go home. I'll walk you to the airlock."

Ashley put her arms around Andros's neck. "But I want to be right here." She said before she kissed him.

* * *

Morana, Kelsa, Kosin, Tenkar, and Torzen got some Earth clothes at a nearby clothing store, leaving behind a path of destruction.

"I've got some of their currency. We should find lodging. Torzen, clean up. You've got blood on your face." Said Kosin as he tossed Torzen a hankerchief.

"When do we get to kill the rangers?" Morana asked.

"Soon. I want to kill them as much as you. I've got a personal score to settle with the red ranger." Said Kosin.

* * *

T.J. and Cassie were hanging out like any other couple would do. It had been a month since the asteroid incident, and life had begun to get back to normal. Buildings were being repaired or rebuilt, stores opened up for business, and schools started again. Fortunately for the rangers, winter break had come. Although it was December, it was sunny in Angel Grove, due to its location. T.J. and Cassie held hands as they took a walk around the city park. Cassie leaned on T.J. as they walked, enjoying the sounds of life, and coolness of the gently blowing wind.

"This is nice." Said Cassie.

"Yeah, it is. No Quantrons, no homework, no disturbances. Just you, me, and the sun." Said T.J. with a smile.

"I wish it would stay like this forever." Said Cassie as she leaned on T.J.

"So do I." said T.J.

T.J. and Cassie's morphers made an alert sound. The two went behind a bush before asking Karone why she called.

"There's trouble downtown on Main Street." Said Karone.

"We're on our way." Said Cassie. T.J. sighed.

"So much for things staying peaceful like this." He said.

"Life wouldn't be fun then." Said Cassie.

"But at least we'd have some peace."

* * *

A/N – This chapter took me at least a week, maybe even two or one and a half. Major writer's block. Please review!


	31. Psycho

Inspace - You're going to have to wait a couple of chapters, but I did sneak in a little Zhane/Karone moment in a couple of chapters from now. I'll try to add more, just for you ;)

* * *

It seemed like a good day. Everyone was in a good mood. Ashley, Andros, Karone, and Zhane were all hanging out together, having lunch at a café on Main Street, eating and laughing, and just, having a wonderful time together.

"So anyways, I vomited in Andros's seat, but I forgot to tell him, and before I could warn him, he sat down." Said Zhane. Everyone except Andros laughed.

"It's okay. I got you back. Remember that time on Tesar 9?" Andros asked with an evil smile.

The smile on Zhane's face quickly faded.

"Aw come on Andros I was ju-" Zhane was interrupted by an explosion across the street.

Immediately, people began screaming and fleeing. Karone and the rangers looked at the site of the explosion. The dust cloud still had not dispersed. They all stood up and slowly walked towards the site of the explosion.

Andros had a bad feeling. He saw five shadows in the dust cloud.

"Karone, go call the others. Keep a safe distance from us." Said Andros.

"Right. Be careful, guys." She said as she ran off to get help.

Andros, Ashley, and Zhane watched as the first shadow emerged from the dust cloud.

Andros and Zhane's eyes widened. "Andros, it's-"

"I know Zhane!" Andros interrupted.

Kosin smiled evily. "Hello Andros. It's been a while." He said.

Ashley looked at Andros. "Andros, you know this guy?" she asked.

"Yeah, I do."

(FLASHBACK)

Andros and Kosin stood side by side in a hanger bay. They wore outfits which were similar to the current uniform that the crew wears, but they were black, not silver.

A middle aged man stood in front of Kosin and Andros.

"You two are the finalists chosen for the position of Red Ranger. The generals have agreed to assign Andros to the position of red ranger, and leader of the ranger team." Said the man.

Kosin lowered his head in disappointment as Andros let out a small smile of joy and victory.

(END FLASHBACK)

Another person emerged from the dust cloud. This time it was Tenkar.

Zhane's eyes were instantly filled with both rage and shock.

"Zhane, don't. That's an order. We need to know what we're up against before we fight them." Said Andros.

"No I'm taking him down now!" Zhane ran towards Tenkar. When he got close enough, Zhane leaped into the air, with his right fist winded back behind his head, ready to attack him. As he began to swing his fist forward, another shadow emerged and kicked Zhane in the stomach, sending him flying back.

"Zhane!" Andros called out.

Torzen had defended Tenkar. Kelsa and Morana emerged from the dust cloud which had finally dispersed. Morana had an evil smile on her face, the same smile she had before she killed the man in the pub.

"This is going to be fun." She said.

* * *

Karone ran into the back alley of the café they were eating at. She grabbed her communicator and called the other rangers.

"Carlos here, what's wrong?"

"We're on Main and ninth. We need your help." Said Karone.

"On my way." Said Carlos.

Karone called Cassie next. "There's trouble downtown on Main Street." She said.

"We're on our way." Said Cassie.

* * *

Everyone stood still. Andros could not make a move. He couldn't go over to help Zhane who was still lying down, unconscious. He didn't know how the other five would react. If he had gone to help Zhane, the others might have used the opportunity to attack Ashley.

"Still so afraid to make the first move, huh Andros?" said Kosin.

"Andros, who is he?" asked Ashley.

"Kosin. He's a criminal on KO-35." Answered Andros.

"Can I kill them already?" Morana asked.

"Let's wait til the others get here. Then you can have your fun." Said Kosin.

"So Andros, how long has it been? Five years? I still owe you for the three years you took from me. But I took the rest of Yorvin's years." Kosin taunted.

Andros clenched his fist. "Son of a bitch" he swore under his breath.

(FLASHBACK)

Kosin wore all black to blend in with the darkness. He slowly and quietly walked up to a large vault in a secret military compound. He stuck a small pad, the size of an iphone, on the vault. He pulled out another pad, similar to the first one in both size and shape. He pressed a few buttons, and the first pad began to emit an electric surge. The vault doors opened.

Kosin quickly went int. He went straight to another vault door. He repeated the same procedure as before, and went into the next room. The room was pitch black, except the one overhead light, shining above a pedestal containing the six Astro morphers.

Kosin pulled out a black bag. He put all the morphers, excluding the red morpher, in the bag. He put on the red Astro morpher and walked out of the vault. He closed the vault and took back his pad, which he used to open the vault door.

As soon as he left stepped out of the compound, he was bombarded with lights. He had been caught.

"Kosin! You are under arrest for the attempted theft of Karovan military technology." Said a familiar voice. Andros stepped out of the shadows, in his ranger form.

Kosin looked confused. He tired to activate the red Astro morpher that he stole.

"It's a fake. We placed it there for you to take. You've been suspected for months now. Surrender now, Kosin, please." Andros pleaded.

Kosin tried to reach for his blaster, but Andros was faster. He pulled out his blaster and shot Kosin with his blaster, which was set at stun.

The soldiers that were with Andros put retraints on Kosin and took him away, while Andros sighed, saddened by the fact that his teammate, and former friend had just betrayed his people, the same people they both swore to defend.

(END FLASHBACK)

Ashley stood there, the whole time, wondering what was going on, and who the five people were. All she knew was that they had a history for Andros and Zhane, and that they were dangerous.

Zhane finally woke up. He slowly got up and moved back to where Andros and Ashley stood.

"You okay?" Andros asked.

"Yeah." Zhane answered.

"What do we do?" Zhane asked.

"We wait til they make the first move, or until the others get here." Answered Andros.

"Ugh, this is boring. Kosin, I'm going to kill them. I can't wait any longer!" said Morana.

"Fine." Said Kosin. "You can kill the girl."

Morana smiled and rushed towards Ashley with two small knives, around the same length as a table knife, but not serrated, and very sharp.

Andros morphed and stepped in between Morana and Ashley. He took out his blaster and shot at Morana. She jumped back.

"Since you've shown me yours, let me show you mine." She said.

Morana rolled up her left sleeve, revealing a morpher of her own, very smiliar to the Astro morphers, but black and yellow.

Morana brought up her left wrist to her face. She pressed a few buttons and said, "Psycho Yellow." In and instant, she was transformed. She was completely black, but had some yellow body armor, as well as a yellow collar.

Ashley froze in both shock and fear. She was up against a power ranger, an evil, power ranger.

"Ashley!" a voice called out. It was Cassie. She and T.J., as well as Carlos, had finally arrived. They saw Morana in her ranger suit.

"What the…" Carlos began to say.

"Guys, focus!" said Andros.

The rangers stood shoulder to shoulder.

"Let's rocket." Said Andros. The rangers morphed.

"Not bad. Our turn." Said Kosin. They all revealed their morphers and morphed. Morana stood back in line with the others.

"Time to die, rangers." Said Tenkar. The Psychos charged towards the rangers, and the rangers did the same.

* * *

A/N – Oh no. Psycho Astro faceoff! We'll see what happens. Well, Karone isn't evil, so she can't call off the Psychos….so….what's going to happen? At least we know Andros or Ashley will live at least. I mean c'mon, its an AA fic, so if they both die like that, then its kind of a wth moment.


	32. Faceoff

A/N - Yay!! Over 100 reviews!! Now I just need another..33 chapters to get 200!! At the current rate that is...

JasonScott - You'll find out where they got their morphers later on...unless I forget to write that in

* * *

Carlos and T.J. fought against Torzen, the blue ranger, while Zhane fought Tenkar, Pyscho black. Both Andros and Kosin locked arms. The two red leaders were at a stalemate. The female rangers matched colors; Morana with Ashley, and Kelsa with Cassie.

Zhane charged at Tenkar with his hand held sword-like weapon. He was blinded by anger, giving Tenkar the upper hand. Zhane swung his sword up and down, right and left, but kept missing. Tenkar was too fast, and Zhane was just too predictable.

(FLASHBACK)

Zhane had finally returned home after a long day of training. He had practiced his aim at the shooting range, and then sparred with Andros. Being a ranger was difficult. It required Zhane to be ready at his feet at all times, and to be at the top of his game.

"Mother, I've returned." Said Zhane as he entered the door.

There was no reply. Zhane walked into the kitchen, calling his mother. He immediately noticed blood leaking from the cold food storage unit. He didn't want to believe it, but he couldn't help but think the worst. He slowly walked to the storage unit and opened it. His mother's bloody body fell and landed on Zhane.

"Mother!" cried Zhane.

He knelt down on the kitchen floor with his mother's bloody body in his arms and began to sob uncontrollably.

(END FLASHBACK)

* * *

Torzen had two sledgehammers in his hands. T.J. swung his Astro axe and tried to hit Torzen, but Torzen blocked the attack with his hammer, and used the other hammer to attack T.J.

T.J. pulled back to dodge the hammer attack that would have surely killed him. Carlos pulled out his blaster and fired several shots at Torzen, but Torzen parried them with his hammer.

Morana rushed towards Ashley with her two small knives. They were so sharp that they cut through one of the traffic lights in the intersection as they were fighting.

"Stay still." Said Morana as she tried to land a hit on Ashley. Ashley just kept dodging and firing her Astro blaster, which Morana dodged.

Kelsa and Cassie fired at each other with their blasters, while hiding behind empty fuel tanks and dumpters, trying to avoid each other's fire.

* * *

Andros and Kosin were at a stalemate. They knew each other's fighting styles, and knew how each other would react. After all, they were partners, and friends.

"Why" asked Andros as his saber was pushing against Kosin's sword, which was similar to Ecliptor's, but red instead of green.

"For power and wealth. I never had any real desire to protect people. I wanted the luxurious life, the one your father handed to you!" Kosin confessed.

"Now you'll have to pay for the choices you've made, Kosin." Said Andros.

"I'm more powerful than you now. You won't defeat me." Said Kosin.

* * *

Zhane blocked at attack from Tenkar. Tenkar had the exact same weapon that Zhane had, except his was black.

"How long has it been, Zhane? Three years?" Tenkar taunted as he slashed Zhane with his weapon. Zhane spun around, and fell to the ground. He immediately got back up. Zhane was so blinded by anger; all that mattered was getting revenge. He screamed angrily as he charged at Tenkar again.

"Your mother was very fun. I hope we didn't make too much of a mess in the kitchen." Said Tenkar.

Zhane screamed angrily again as he charged at Tenkar again.

* * *

Kelsa blocked every attack by Cassie. She then kicked Cassie, sending her to the ground., Cassie was on her hands and knees when Kelsa kicked her in the stomach, causing Cassie to fly towards the wall behind her. Cassie slowly got up. Kelsa pulled out her blaster but kept it at her side. Kelsa noticed a reporter and cameraman nearby and aimed towards them. The reporter and cameraman froze in fear. Cassie knew what was coming. She ran over and spread out her arms to block the attack. Kelsa pulled the trigger and held onto it. The blaster rapidly fired multiple shots, hitting Cassie in multiple places along her chest. Sparks flew from her suit. The reporter watched in horror from behind.

"Cassie!" T.J. cried out. He tried to run to save her, but Torzen stopped him from doing so.

Cassie's ranger suit deactivated. There was too much damage to her suit, and as a result, lost power. Her hair was messy; her face had smudges of dirt, and a trickle of blood from the right side of her lip.

"She's just a kid." Said the reporter. The reporter and cameraman fled, avoiding any further danger. Kelsa, decided to spare their lives and turn her attention to Cassie. Cassie was on her stomach. She tried to get up, but couldn't. Kelsa walked towards Cassie. She stepped on Cassie's left hand, crushing the bones. She then grabbed Cassie by the neck and picked her up. She began to slowly choke her. Cassie grabbed Kelsa's hand, and tried to free herself from Kelsa's grip, but failed. She knew it was the end for her. She looked at T.J., who was busy fighting Torzen, and therefore unable to save her. She shed a single tear, knowing that he would have to suffer the pain of losing her.

"Goodbye T.J. I love you." She said in her head as she looked at him. Kelsa snapped Cassie's neck and dropped her lifeless body on the ground.

* * *

A/N – Yeah, I killed her off. Please don't hate me. I did it for the sake of good drama and to bring out emotional moments for characters. I would've killed Carlos, but then certain future events would not occur.

JasonScott - I'll make it up to you. My surprise for you is in the next chapter.

I personally liked the way I wrote Cassie's death. I wanted to give her a hero moment, so I had the reporter. Also, with that last sentence, you knew how she was going to die, maybe, but then it's like, you're reading, and then suddenly, she's dead. It's like "huh? What just happened?" I'm not a soldier who's been in war, but I imagine that it would be like that. Plus, the sudden neck snap death just totally shocks you, right? It did for me, and that's why I really like that ending...even though it was so sad.


	33. Reinforcements

A/N - Yeah, I know you're upset with me, and I knew I wo uld get this response. But still, I did it for the sake of good drama. Besides, in the real show, they were getting owned. They only survived cause it was a kids' show where the heroes can't die.

JasonLee - ...surprise!

Justea - Yeah, I didn't want Cassie to die either, but, things happen, and Carlos is kind of a background character in my story so his death wouldn't have as much of an impact. Also, I can't use Carlos's death in future plots as much as I can use Cassie's. I can't remember why I decided to have Tenkar be Zhane's mom's killer, but, yeah...I can't remember why I did it ^^' Oh well.

* * *

Ashley stood in front of her mirror in her room at home. The sun shined brightly into her room. She looked into the mirror to see how she looked. She wore a black dress, since it was tradition for a funeral. She heard a knock on her door.

"Come in." she said, quietly, but not so quiet that it could not be heard. Her mother in a similar black dress opened the door.

"Are you ready, sweety?" she asked.

"Yeah." Ashley grabbed her purse, which rested on her bed. She went down to the car with her mom, where her father and brother were waiting. She got in the back and sat silently as her father drove to the cemetery.

(FLASHBACK)

Ashley hit behind the counter of the café where she had been enjoying a nice meal with Andros, Zhane, and Karone. She was hiding from Morana, trying to buy some time while she thought of a strategy.

"Come on out yellow ranger." Said Morana as she slowly walked towards the counter. It was the most logical and obvious hiding place. Morana stood over the counter and raised her right arm, with her knife in hand, ready to attack.

Ashley held on to her blaster, ready to turn around and fire,

"Zhane! Andros! Save Cassie!" T.J. screamed over the internal radio that was built into the ranger suit.

Ashley took a moment to process the plea. She knew she had to help Cassie, but first she had to get out of the situation she was in. She held onto her blaster tightly, ready to turn around and fire, but before she could, she saw Morana hit the shelves of glass above Ashley and fall. Ashley immediately leaped over the counter to get away from her. As soon as she leaped over, she looked towards the large hole that used to be a wall, and saw another yellow ranger with a blaster in her hand.

(END FLASHBACK)

* * *

Carlos stood next to T.J., just outside the church. They were waiting for the others. Security had blocked the reporters who tried asking the rangers questions earlier. The reporters were blocked off from the guests, and were only able to take pictures, since they were too far away to be heard by the attendees. Carlos turned his head to head left to see if T.J. was okay. T.J. didn't let any emotion show. He didn't want to be sad, because he knew Cassie wouldn't want him to be sad. He tried to ignore the pain, but deep down inside, he was an emotional wreck.

(FLASHBACK)

Toren swung his hammer rapidly from every direction. He was relentless. T.J. and Carlos could only dodge.

T.J. jumped into the air, with his axe held high. Torzen winded his arm back to get ready to hit T.J. Both swung their weapons and met with full force. The contact sent out a shockwave which shattered glass nearby. T.J. was sent flying by a hit from Torzen's other hammer. However, that gave Carlos the perfect opportunity to attack Torzen. Carlos struck Torzen with his lance. Torzen lost his balance and stepped back, but he was fine. However, T.J. was not. He was lying on the street, trying to get up.

T.J. and Carlos saw Cassie in trouble. Her suit had just lost power, and the pink psycho ranger was holding Cassie by the neck. T.J. pulled out his Astro blaster and pointed it at the pink psycho ranger.

"T.J., watch out!" Carlos called out. Carlos tackled T.J. down to prevent Torzen from hurting T.J.

Carlos and T.J. were on the ground. Torzen swung his hammer down. Carlos didn't have the time to dodge it, so he tried to block it with his lance. The hammer came down, but two blue tonfas also blocked the hammers. They were held by a blue ranger.

"Looks like you guys could use some help." Said the blue ranger.

(END FLASHBACK)

* * *

Zhane stood in middle of the hotel lobby. He wore a black suit, fit for a funeral. He stood with his hands in his pockets, waiting for Karone and Andros.

(FLASHBACK)

Zhane was getting beaten easily by Tenkar. Zhane took a moment to focus. He tried to put his emotions aside, and fight with a clear head, but Tenkar's taunts were making it difficult. Tenkar swung his sword down and Zhane blocked.

"Zhane! Save Cassie!" T.J. shouted out of nowhere..

Zhane looked around and saw Cassie being picked up by the neck.

"Cassie!" Zhane tried to run to help her, but Tenkar shot him in the back, causing Zhane to fall forward. She looked ahead and saw the pink psycho ranger snap Cassie's neck and drop her.

"No!" Zhane shouted. He felt a slash in his back, and fell forward again.

"Looks like you lost another." Teased Tenkar. Zhane got up. Tenkar swung his weapon again, and again, until Zhane's weapon was knocked out of his hand. Tenkar raised his sword, ready to finish Zhane off. Suddenly, Tenkar was shot out of nowhere and fell back. Zhane looked around and saw a green power ranger with a blaster.

"I've got your back, man." Said the green ranger.

(END FLASHBACK)

* * *

Andros stood outside the balcony of his hotel room. He was dressed and ready to go. He closed his eyes and felt the wind blow. It was soothing, and soothing was something he really needed. He had lost another crew member, another ranger, another friend.

(FLASHBACK)

"Zhane! Andros! Save Cassie!" T.J. pleaded through the radio. He saw Cassie being dropped onto the ground by Psycho pink.

"Cassie!" Andros yelled out.

Andros jumped up with his spiral saber winded back, ready to swing from above. Kosin knew what was coming so he raised his weapon, parallel to the ground, ready to block the attack. Andros saw Kosin raise his weapon, and immediately dropped his saber, pulled out his blaster, and shot Kosin at point blank range.

Andros began to run towards Cassie's body, but he was attacked from behind. Someone shot him multiple times in the back. Andros fell forward.

Kosin got up and picked up his weapon with his left hand. His right hand was holding onto his blaster, which he used to shoot down Andros. He walked over and stood in front of Andros, who was lying on the ground on his stomach. "I win." He said as he raised his weapon, ready to finish off Andros. Just before Kosin lowered his sword, he was shot, which knocked him off his feet, saving Andros. Andros got up and turned around. He saw a red ranger with a black star on his face and a blaster in his hands.

"Who are you?" asked Andros.

"Backup." Answered the red ranger. "I'm Tommy." He said as he stuck out his hand.

Andros turned his attention back to Kosin, but he was gone. He looked around and saw that the other Psycho rangers were gone as well.

"Thank you Tommy. I'm called Andros." He said.

"No prob-"Tommy was cut off by what he saw behind Andros. Cassie laid in the middle of the street, lifeless.

"Cassie." He said quietly before walking over to her body. Andros turned around and followed Tommy to Cassie's body. He knelt down and took Cassie's left wrist. He checked for a pulse, but there was none. T.J. arrived at the scene, and fell to his knees.

"I'm sorry T.J., she's gone." Andros sadly informed him.

"No. No, no, no, no, no." he said. T.J. demorphed and held her body in his arms. Tears poured down his face as he mourned.

Andros took the Astro morpher off of Cassie's wrists.

Ashley and Karone arrived as well. Karone covered her opened mouth with her hands, and Ashley stood shocked.

"Cassie!" Ashley screamed out.

"We've got to go, T.J." said Andros as he got back up.

(END FLASHBACK)

* * *

Ashley's father parked the car at the special parking spot created for Cassie's funeral. She saw Carlos and T.J. and walked towards them. She hugged Carlos, and then hugged T.J., but held onto him a little longer.

"We're just waiting for everyone else." Carlos said to Ashley.

(FLASHBACK)

Morana and the Psycho rangers had just retreated, putting Ashley at ease. She turned to the other yellow ranger.

"Thank you." She said to her.

"No problem." Said the yellow ranger.

Before Ashley could introduce herself, she saw something in the corner of her eye. She saw Cassie on the ground, immobile, and being held in T.J.'s arms. She ran towards Cassie and T.J.

When she arrived, she heard T.J. sobbing. Ashley looked at Andros who was standing next to another red ranger. Andros shook his head. She couldn't believe it. Her best friend had been killed.

"Cassie!" Tears started to flow down her face, behind her mask.

(END FLASHBACK)

* * *

Ashley watched as Andros, Karone, and Zhane got out of a red car that had just pulled up into the parking lot. Tommy Oliver got out of the driver's seat. Ashley hugged Zhane, Karone, Andros, and then Tommy.

"Good to see you guys." He said. "I just wish it could have been under better circumstances."

"Thank you for coming." Said Ashley. Tommy stood with the others as they waited for the other Zeo rangers.

A minivan parked next to Tommy's car. Adam Park got out of the driver's seat, and Jason, the original Red ranger, got out of the other side. He opened the middle door, and Adam pulled out a wheelchair from the back. Adam set it up in front of the middle door as Rocky, the former blue ranger, got out and was helped onto the wheelchair by Jason and Tanya.

The rangers shared exchanged hugs and greetings.

"Let's go." Said Tommy.

* * *

A/N - Ok, well, since Karone is kinda..well, good now, she can't call back the psychos. I asked JasonScottLeeFan if they wanted anything in the future, like characters hooking up or characters making an appearance, and they requested some former rangers, so I delivered, and used it to my advantage :p

JasonLee - I hope this makes up for what you said was lacking last chapter. And I hope you enjoyed the surprise.


	34. Hero

JasonLee – The Blue Zeo ranger question you had will be answered next chapter. As for the Tonfas, I did research on the Zeo weapons.

Jusea – I heard Rocky had a lot of back damage, so I assumed he was paralyzed waist down. ^^' If not, then I can always just rehab him out of it :p. As for Cassie's death, yeah, sad…And I did it for a big reason too, aside from the character moments.

* * *

The rangers walked up the stairs, except Rocky who was taken up the ramp by Tanya, and saw several soldiers at the door. They were assisting the secret service with security detail.

The rangers pulled out their clearance passes and showed them to the agents that allowed or forbade entry into the ceremony. Many notable people were present, such as the President.

"Wow, what a crowd." Said Rocky.

"She deserves it." Said Kat.

(FLASHBACK)

Ashley sadly walked into her house. She wiped the tears away to avoid suspicion from her parents. As she entered the house, she saw her mother sitting on the couch in shock. Her mother immediately noticed Ashley come in and walked towards her.

"Oh honey, I'm so sorry." She said as she embraced Ashley in her arms.

"How could she know, already?" Ashley thought.

"What are you talking about, mom?" Ashley asked, trying not to break into tears.

"I just heard over the news, Cassie was killed. She was the pink ranger." Ashley's mother informed her.

Ashley followed her mother back into the living room and watched the news.

"…has been identified as seventeen year old, Cassie Chan, a student at Angel Grove High School. The identities of the other rangers are still unknown. Cassie Chan was a brave young woman who gave her life for others. She is certainly my hero." Said the reporter through the television.

Ashley took a seat on the couch. She was still torn apart by the loss of her friend, but the discovery of Cassie's identity worried that her identity, as well as the others' would be compromised.

(END FLASHBACK)

The church was large, with a seating capacity of one thousand two hundred. The rangers took a seat in the third row, behind Cassie's parents, younger sister, and relatives. Rocky was left in the spacious aisle, due to his wheelchair. The opposite side of the church was reserved for world leaders. The President, as well as some other worlds, such as Britain and Australia, was in attendance. The reporters from all over the world were in the balcony above. Ashley's family sat further back with T.J.'s parents.

"Let us begin…" said the minister.

* * *

The five Psycho rangers were in a motel room. They avoided luxurious places to avoid unwanted attention. Tenkar and Morana sat on a bed together while Kelsa sat on the other bed. Torzen stood while Kosin sat down on the chair.

The Psycho rangers watched the live feed of Cassie's funeral. They saw a glimpse of the Astro rangers in the front row.

"Too bad we can't be there. It would be so much fun." Said Morana.

"We may be stronger, but we're not invincible." Said Kosin.

"Don't worry. We'll have other opportunities." Tenkar said to Morana as he stroked her hair.

"So what's the plan?" Kelsa asked.

* * *

After Cassie's parents spoke, Ashley was asked to give a eulogy, since she was Cassie's best friend. Ashley got out of the pews and walked up to front. She lowered the microphone and cleared her throat.

"It's not surprising to me that Cassie was a power ranger. Sure she was young, but, she had the qualities of a ranger, a hero. She was brave, and kind, and obviously unselfish. She showed great courage, especially for a seventeen year old girl. That, is what makes someone a hero. I couldn't ask for a better best friend. She was the kindest person you could ever meet. I don't think you could explain how great Cassie was as a person, because she was just that great."

Ashley tried to stay strong as she spoke to the crowd in the church, and those listening around the world. "I remember when she was going through a tough time; all she did was give me advice on a situation I was dealing with. Now, thanks to her, I have someone special in my life. I just wish Cassie was still here."

Ashley took a deep breath before continuing. "I know we're all sad. We're all crying, but, Cassie wouldn't want that. She wouldn't want us to be sad."

Ashley turned her head and looked at Cassie's casket, which had the top part left open. She wiped away her tears and turned back and faced the crowd. "So I'm not going to cry. For Cassie. Thank you." Ashley stepped down and returned to her seat.

The president got up to the front to speak next. He was, like his predecessors, was old and Caucasian. The president took a deep breath and looked back at the casket, then faced the crowd.

"When we think of heroes, we think of comic book characters, tv characters, Martin Luthor King, or Ghandi. We think of policemen, doctors, firefighters, and power rangers. Who knew that a seventeen year old girl was a power ranger. It just goes to show that heroes don't have to be adults, or peaceful leaders. Joseph Campbell said, "A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than onself". And it just goes to show that you don't have to be a wise or charismatic person to be a hero. All you need is kindness, courage, and the willingness or sacrifice yourself for the greater good."

The president pointed at the casket. "Cassie didn't start a peace movement, and she didn't find the cure to cancer, but she gave her life to defend the lives of the citizens of Angel Grove, as well as the rest of the world. Not only that, she did it at age seventeen. I have may been a colonel in the air force before I became the president, but when I was seventeen, I definitely didn't have the courage to do what Cassie did. And for that Cassie, I applaud you."

The president clapped his hands. Everyone else followed suit. A secret service agent came up with a small black box. He opened it and showed it to the President. The president reached in and pulled out a medal. It was a star that had a different color for each end of a star. Each color of an end corresponded with the color of a Space Ranger. The middle was gold.

"I hereby award Cassie Chan with the first ever, Power Ranger Medal of Honor, for exceptional bravery in every battle fought to save mankind from destruction." The president placed the medal in Cassie's hands. Cassie was given the highest honor and the highest praise for her sacrifice.

The president stepped down, and one by one, people walked up to the casket and placed a red rose on top of it. Cassie's parents were first, followed by Ashley.

"Bye Cassie. I'll miss you." Ashley whispered as she placed her right hand casket and walked away to speak to Cassie's parents.

One by one, the other rangers went, until finally, Andros was left. He stood over her casket, and placed a rose down on it. "Good bye, friend. Thank you for everything."

* * *

A/N – I decided to give Cassie a big heroic funeral. After all, she was heroic, and, well, a loved character. I hope you liked this chapter.

I wish I could've like (film) shot this chapter. The eulogy from Ashley and the president would've been fun to shoot. For the president, I was thinking of Jon Voight. When i was about to add the chapter to the fic, i was like, "should I call this funeral or hero." Then I ended up adding a bit more to the chapter. Like one sentence.

Okay, so, now they have to go deal with the Psycho Rangers. Let's see who else dies! If someone else dies…

Ok, let me know if you like this idea or not, but I'm going to give little previews. Let me know if you like the idea or not. If you do, I'll stick with it. If you don't, I won't stick with it.

So.

Spoilers

So.

You've been

warned

* * *

Andros swung his right arm and punched Zhane, who fell to the floor. Zhane got up and tackled Andros, taking him down. Zhane was on top, punching Andros.

* * *

There's your little preview. Hope you enjoyed it. Hope you're dying to read the next chapter now.


	35. Tactic

A/N - Please guys, let me know if you want me to keep the previews or not. Enjoy!

* * *

The Astro and Zeo rangers sat around the conference table, one deck below the bridge. The Zeo rangers, excluding Rocky, who had gone back to the hospital for rehabilitation, were invited onto the ship for a meeting regarding the psycho rangers. They all sat around the table, with their eyes focused on the holographic projection of Kosin in the middle.

"First Teir Kosin of the ninth Regiment. Five years ago, he was arrested and sentenced to prison on the penal colony PC-X03. He's very smart, and very strong. He's also their leader by the looks of it."

Andros was giving a report on the five psycho rangers, so that the rangers could be better informed of their opponents. Andros clicked a button on the round remote control he had in his left hand.

"Next we have Tenkar. He, like Kosin, is a very skilled fighter. He's been in the same penal colony as Kosin for almost three years. He was serial killer. Zhane and I captured him back on KO-35."

Andros moved onto the next person. "Morana, is pretty much the same as Tenkar. She's a serial killer, with a legendary bloodlust. Her judgement can be clouded easily by emotion, so we can use that to our advantage."

"Torzen is the brute force of the group. He worked for the Gerks of Drek, a mercenary group, before the fall of KO-35. I can only assume he's working for Dark Specter now."

Andros looked at T.J. as he changed the holographic projection to Kelsa. "That brings us to Kelsa, a former Intelligence officer in the Karovan Military Science division. She was suspected of bribery, and espionage, but was never actually convicted, due to a lack of evidence. She's got fairly advanced military training, and she's very good with computers and technology." Everyone glanced at T.J. once or twice while Andros spoke about Kelsa.

"So, what's the best strategy for dealing with these guys?" asked Tommy.

"Well, if I know Kosin, he'll have changed his team's tactics as well. He'll probably want to split us up and then take us out, since we have strength in numbers. So, we're going to have to stay together as often as we can." Said Andros.

"We can't stay on the defensive forever. We have to go on the offensive." Said Jason, the new blue Zeo ranger. Rocky had given up his blue Zeo morpher to Jason due to his injury.

"Can we? T.J. and I fought Torzen, and we were getting our asses kicked." Said Carlos.

"We have to stop them before they kill us, Carlos. We don't have a choice." Said Andros. "Look, it's not going to be easy, but we can do it."

Andros saw that everyone was a little bummed out by the last battle. He knew the rangers needed to raise their morale. "Alright. Let's take a break. How about a tour of the ship?"

"What about the plan?" Kat asked.

"It can wait. It looks like we could all use a break, so, come on. Let's go." Said Andros as he headed for the door.

* * *

The tour began with the bridge. They showed the system controls, and the view screen. They also introduced the rangers to Deca.

"Zhane, can I talk to you alone for a moment?" Andros asked as the others were leaving the bridge. Everyone turned and looked at Andros and Zhane.

Zhane looked back at the rangers. "We'll catch up." He said.

Andros waited for the rangers to leave before he spoke. "Back on earth, when we first saw the Psycho rangers, I gave you an order to hold your position. You disobeyed me." He said.

"Yeah, I know." Said Zhane.

"That decision could have gotten another of us killed." Said Andros.

"What do you want from me Andros, an apology? You know what Tenkar did, and I'm not sorry that I took a chance to kill him." Said Zhane.

"Damnit Zhane! You could have gotten yourself killed!" Andros said angrily.

"Well I'm fine!"

"Next time you might not be fine! I saw how you were fighting! You were blinded by your emotions you couldn't even land a hit on Tenkar!"

Zhane didn't know how to respond. He knew Andros was right. His emotions had blinded him.

"I know you want to kill him, but you have to use your head! You have to put the mission first!" said Andros.

"And when you tortured Karone, was that putting the mission first?! Or was that just you trying to get revenge?!" Zhane yelled.

Andros swung his right arm and punched Zhane, who fell to the floor. Zhane got up and tackled Andros, taking him down. Zhane was on top, punching Andros. Andros kicked him away, and they both got up. They kept apart and breathed heavily.

"Feeling better?" asked Andros.

"Sorry."

"If you want to kill Tenkar, that's fine. Just keep your emotions in check. Or else you'll end up like Cassie. And I've already lost too many friends."

* * *

After the tour and a lunch break, the rangers met back in the conference room.

"I've thought about what we could do. Here's what I've come up with. I'll offer myself up as bait. In the meantime, everyone will keep their distance from me, and wait until they attack. Once they make contact, you'll come to help me." Andros explained.

"That's suicide." Said Adam.

"It's the only way." Said Andros.

"I'm coming with you. You need someone to back you up. Besides, it'll seem less obvious if there are two." Said Tommy.

"Very well. We'll do this tomorrow." Said Andros.

* * *

A semi-exciting chapter cause of the Zhane Andros thing. It was about time for some buddy conflict. You are going to LOVE next chapter. It's all character based.

Uh, please tell me if you like the idea of previews or not. Please.

Here's the next preview.

* * *

Ashley turned around and faced Andros. Tears began to fall from her eyes again. Ashley buried her face in Andros's chest and began to cry. "I miss her so much." she said as she sobbed.

"I know." Said Andros, with his arms wrapped around Ashley. "I miss her too." He said


	36. Remembrance

A/N - quite good chapter. Plenty of emotional moments. I think you'll like it

* * *

The Zeo rangers were given temporary quarters on the Megaship. Ashley walked along the corridor of the deck where she and the other Astro rangers resided. With a large, empty box in her hands. She stood in front of Cassie's quarters and took a deep breath before going in. She set down the box at the head of the bed, and began to collect Cassie's personal belongings. Ashley picked up Cassie's brush as well as her lipstick and other cosmetics and put them in the box. She saw various framed photos of herself and her friends, as well as Cassie's family. One by one, Ashley took a look at the photos and put them in the box. She then grabbed a stuffed teddy bear from Cassie's bed and looked at it. It was the one Ashley had given Cassie for her birthday. Ashley began to cry. She tried to wipe them away, but she wouldn't stop crying, causing her to become frustrated. She screamed angrily as she tossed the bear against the wall.

The door slid open and Andros walked in. "Hey." Said Andros as he walked in.

"Hey." Ashley responded with her back turned to Andros, trying to pretend that everything was alright, trying not to show the tears that had been wiped away. She had temporarily stopped crying. Andros's presence made Ashley more determined not to show her tears.

"I know it's hard. I'm here if you need me." Andros said as he walked closer to Ashley.

"I'm fine Andros." Ashley lied. She wasn't all fine. She was barely holding it together.

"No, you're not. No one expects you to hold it together. Cassie wouldn't want you to bottle up your emotions."

"I said I'm fine!" she snapped as she turned around. "I'm sorry." She immediately apologized.

"Don't be. I know how hard it is to lose a friend." said Andros. He was only a couple inches away from her now.

Ashley turned around and faced Andros. Tears began to fall from her eyes again. Ashley buried her face in Andros's chest and began to cry. "I miss her so much." she said as she sobbed.

"I know." Said Andros, with his arms wrapped around Ashley. "I miss her too." He said.

* * *

Carlos was in his quarters alone. He sat at the edge of his bed and kicked his soccer ball against the wall, over and over. He couldn't sleep because he had so much on his mind. He was thinking of Cassie, as well as the upcoming mission. It was also the first time he had lost a close friend.

(FLASHBACK)

Carlos watched as Cassie tried to balance a ball on her feet and fail, repeatedly.

"You make it look so easy." She said.

"Practice makes perfect." He responded.

Cassie finally gave up. She picked up the soccer ball and returned it to Carlos.

"We all have our strengths. Mine is soccer." Said Carlos.

"And mine is singing and playing matchmaker. So if you've got a girl you like, let me know. I'll hook you two up." Said Cassie with a wink.

(END FLASHBACK)

"Wish you were here, Cassie." Said Carlos.

* * *

Karone was in the mess hall, getting a drink. She went up to the synthetron, and stood there. Finally, Karone ordered some Oolong tea, in memory of Cassie, who loved Oolong tea, as well as some doughnuts. Karone sat down at a table. She placed the doughnuts in the middle of the table, but kept the tea in her hands.

(FLASHBACK)

Karone was sitting alone at night, in the mess hall, with a cup of kek'tal tea. As she sat alone drinking her tea, Cassie came in.

"Hey." She said.

"Hi." Karone replied.

"Can't sleep?" she asked.

"No. How about you?" asked Karone.

"Just woke up with a sudden craving for Oolong tea and doughnuts." Said Cassie as she brought over a mug and plate of doughnuts. She pushed the plate towards Karone.

"Thanks." Said Karone as she reached for a doughnut.

"When you've got a lot on your mind, doughnuts are the cure." Said Cassie.

Karone took a bite. "So what's on your mind?" asked Cassie.

Karone lowered her head and looked at her tea. Cassie analyzed Karone's face and instantly knew what was bothering her.

"It's a boy. You don't like Carlos, do you?"

"What? No. Carlos is a great guy, but I'm not attracted to him." Karone answered.

"It's not T.J., right? Cause he's taken. By me."

"No, it's…"

"Zhane?!"

"Sh! He might hear us." Said Karone.

"You like Zhane? You know, if you want, I can find out if he likes you too." Cassie offered.

"I don't think he likes me. We get along, but, I doubt he likes me in that way." Said Karone.

"Your brother was just like you. Now he's dating Ashley. So maybe your chances are higher than you think. Look, I'll find out for you if he has any interest in you or not."

"Thanks." Said Karone.

(END FLASHBACK)

"Thank you, Cassie." Karone said quietly as she looked at the plate of doughnuts.

* * *

Zhane sat in the Captain's seat. He looked over at Cassie's former station, Communications. He thought back to the time he and Cassie were alone on the bridge.

(FLASHBACK)

Zhane sat alone in the bridge. It was late at night, and Zhane was working.

"Hey" said a female voice from behind.

Zhane turned around and saw Cassie come into the bridge.

"Hey. Shouldn't you be sleeping?" he asked.

"Can't sleep." She lied. She wanted to find out whether Zhane liked Karone or not.

"So…" Cassie began to say as she sat down on the chair left of where Zhane was sitting.

"…What?" asked Zhane.

"Okay, I'll be blunt. You're attracted to Karone, aren't you?" asked Cassie.

"What?"

"Karone. You like her, Don't you?"

"No." he lied. "Why do you say that?"

"I've seen the way you look at her. It's the same look Andros had when he looked at Ashley. I know romance when I see it." Said Cassie.

Zhane didn't respond. "Don't worry. Karone's not around." Said Cassie.

"Fine. I do." Zhane admitted.

Cassie grinned. "So, have you told her?"

"No. I doubt she likes me like that. Besides, she's Andros's sister." Said Zhane.

"Well, it's Karone's choice. Besides, Andros likes you. I think it'll be okay. Oh, and Karone likes you too." Said Cassie.

"She likes me?" he smiled.

"Totally. Go for it, man."

"Thanks Cassie." Said Zhane as he left the bridge.

(END FLASHBACK)

Zhane looked at the chair Cassie sat in when she told him about Karone's feelings for him. "Thanks Cassie." Said Zhane with a small smile.

"Hi." Said Karone from the door. Zhane turned around and saw Karone come in.

"Hey. How are you doing?" he asked.

"I've been better." She said sadly. Karone sat on Zhane's lap and they leaned back on the chair.

"I miss her." Said Karone.

"Me too." Said Zhane.

"We owe it to her, you know." Said Karone.

"Yeah, we might not have been together without Cassie." Said Zhane.

"Be careful tomorrow." Said Karone as she rested her head on Zhane's chest.

"I will."

* * *

Andros had helped Ashley clear Cassie's room. Ashley went to bed while Andros went to put Cassie's belongings in the shuttle to take down to Earth tomorrow. On his way, he went to the Cargo Bay and picked up a couple bottles of Terynic. He stopped by the mess hall to get a glass. When he arrived, he saw a plate of doughnuts on one of the tables, so he cleared the table. Andros got his glass and left, towards his room. He opened the bottle and poured some Terynic into his glass. He drank it and then refilled it. He drank to try to forget about Cassie, who meant a great deal to him.

(FLASHBACK)

"She has feelings for you too, you know." Said Cassie. She was lying on a medical bed, her left leg was Barillian, not human, as a result of the Barillian Sting.

Andros looked away from Cassie. "I don't know what you are talking about." He lied.

"Andros, you may be a great ranger, but you can't fool me when it comes to romance. I've seen the way you look at her, the way you treat her. And I trust that you're going to continue to be there for her." Cassie said.

"I-"

"You don't need to say anything. And thank you for doing everything you can to help me. And I hope you find Karone one day."

(END FLASHBACK)

Andros gripped his glass tightly until it shattered in his hands. His hand had been injured. Andros winced in pain and examined his hand. It required medical attention so he went to the infirmary to get treatment.

* * *

T.J. pulled the trigger of his Astro blaster. He was in the shooting range practicing. He shot at immobile and mobile targets. All he had on his mind was killing the pink psycho ranger, Kelsa, and avenging Cassie.

(FLASHBACK)

He used his Astro axe to block the hammer from above. Torzen had amazing strength. He felt vibrations pass through his body as soon as the hammer and the axe touched. In the corner of his eye, he saw Cassie, trying to get up. He also saw Kelsa with a blaster, pointed at a reporter and cameraman.

"Cassie!" he cried. He tried to run, but Torzen swung his hammer again and hit T.J., sending him flying.

* * *

As soon as Torzen retreated, T.J. ran over to Cassie who was on the ground.

"Cassie!' knelt down beside her and checked her pulse. There was none.

"Cassie…Cassie!" T.J. began to sob. He couldn't believe he had just lost Cassie, the girl of his dreams.

(END FLASHBACK)

T.J. screamed angrily and rapidly fired on the targets. The shots from the blaster destroyed the target, leaving no traces of the target. T.J. took deep breathes.

The door slid open and Andros walked in. T.J. ignored him and commanded Deca to put up another target.

"We need to talk." Said Andros.

"About what?" asked T.J.

"I need to know if you can remain objective during the mission. If you can't follow orders, you're no good to us. You'll only be a liability." Said Andros.

T.J. put down his blaster and looked at Andros. "You think I won't be able to focus? You think I'm obsessed with getting even?"

"Zhane was the same, and that's why he was losing to Tenkar that day. If you can't stay focused, we might lose you too."

"You're worrying over nothing."

"Am I? I know how you feel. I was miserable too when I thought Zel died. I've lost friends too." Said Andros.

"You weren't there when you thought Zel died! I was less than ten meters from Cassie!" T.J. yelled.

There was a pause. "If you want to kill Kelsa, that's fine. But don't do let that desire blind you, or else we might have to have a funeral for you." Said Andros.

"You can trust me, Andros. I'll be focused." Said T.J.

Andros walked closer to T.J. and looked him in the eyes. After a moment, Andros turned around and began to walk away.

"Just remember, your lack of focus could mean the deaths of Ashley or Carlos, or anyone else." Said Andros before leaving.

T.J. turned back to the target and picked up his blaster. He pointed it at the target and fired.

* * *

A/N - Special ish chapter. Good character moments, wouldn't you say? Man, I wish I could film this fanfic and turn it visual with like a good hollywood budget.

Inspace - that Zhane/Karone moment was just for you.

Here's the next preview. I was thinking of previewing another section of the chapter, but I thought it would have been too much of a spoiler so I didn't use it.

* * *

"Hurry up and kill him already, Kosin, or else I will." Said Morana.

Kosin grabbed his blaster and pointed it at Morana. Immediately, Tenkar drew his blaster on Kosin.

"You don't give the orders around here." Said Kosin.

"And you don't point weapons at Morana." Said Tenkar.

* * *


	37. Trap

A/N - I'm writing chapter 40 right now, and it seems to be quite a long chapter, since its chapter 40. It'll be quite interesting. I'd use another word, but I don't want to spoil anything.

* * *

The night passed, and the rangers mourned for their fallen ranger. They got ready to leave and met at the hangar bay in the morning. Everyone was waiting for Andros.

"Sorry I'm late." Said Andros as he arrived. Ashley immediately noticed the bandage on Andros's hand.

"Are you okay?" she asked, looking at his hand.

Andros noticed. "I'm fine." He answered. Everyone followed Andros into the shuttle and took a seat. Andros turned on the systems.

The hangar bay depressurized, and then opened the door.

"Prometheus, you are clear for launch. Good hunting." Said Karone over the radio. She stayed behind to monitor everyone from the ship.

* * *

Andros and T ommy walked around in an industrial area, in their ranger suits. Andros had a scanner in his hand, trying to detect the psycho rangers.

"You seem fine for someone who just lost a friend." Said Tommy.

"You get used to it after losing as many friends as I have." Said Andros, uninterested in the conversation.

"So do you think they'll show?" Tommy asked, trying to change the subject.

"Hopefully. Kosin may want to kill me, but he's not stupid."

"What does he have against you, anyways?" Tommy asked.

"I arrested him for attempting to steal the Astro morphers." Andros answered.

Andros looked at his scanner and detected life signs.

"I'm picking up human life signs." Said Andros.

"Is it them?" asked Tommy.

"Five life signs, Hunting pattern Delta Four. Yeah, it's them." Said Andros. He pressed a few buttons on his scanner.

"I've relayed the message to the others, now we just need to let them make the first move. Follow me." Said Andros. He walked into the warehouse in front of them, pretending as if he was oblivious to the fact that the Psycho Rangers were nearby.

* * *

The Astro and Zeo rangers were morphed, and only three hundred yards away, waiting for Andros's signal.

"Ashley, this is Karone." She said over the radio.

"What is it, Karone?" Ashley asked. Everyone looked at Ashley.

"I'm relaying the data Andros sent me." Said karone.

Ashley took out her scanner and took a look. It displayed a reading of life signs in various locations. Zhane looked at the scanner.

"Hunter pattern Delta Four. It's a Karovan military strategy. Andros is going go into the warehouse inside. They'll follow if they fall for Andros's plan. We should-"

"Tommy's been hit! I need backup, now!" Andros screamed over the radio. All the rangers rushed towards the warehouse.

* * *

Tommy was hit by sniper fire and fell suddenly. Andros quickly dragged Tommy behind some crates, leaving a trail of blood. The round had penetrated Tommy's Zeo suit, allowing the blood to escape his body.

Andros checked the wound, which was just under Tommy's right collar bone. Miraculously, and fortunately, the shot missed Tommy's right lung.

Andros placed Tommy's left arm on the wound. "Apply pressure here." He said.

Andros leaned Tommy against a wall and put Tommy's blaster in his hand. "Just in case they find you." He said. Andros left Tommy and moved some crates to hide Tommy.

Andros walked into the open area inside the warehouse. He took out his scanner and blaster. There were five life signs circling around Andros.

"Come on out Kosin!' Andros yelled.

Two figures stood at the door. They stepped closer. It was Tenkar and Morana, in their ranger suits.

Andros turned around to see if there was anyone behind him, but when he did, Torzen was there, and he hit Andros with his hammer, causing him to spin and fall. Kosin came from the side, and Kelsa from the other side.

Kosin and over and kicked Andros in the stomach. "That, was very enjoyable." Said Kosin.

* * *

Karone painfully listened to the sounds of agony his brother made as he was attacked by Kosin.

"Guys, hurry, please." Karone pleaded.

She cringed again. She couldn't take it anymore. She ran out of the bridge and headed for the power vault. She entered the access code, and grabbed the pink morpher. She slowly put on the morpher and felt more determined to do something about her brother's situation, other than ask the other rangers to hurry up. She left the vault and headed for the glider bay.

* * *

"Deca, activate automated systems. Raise shields after I'm gone." Said Karone as she ran towards the glider bay.

"Hurry up and kill him already, Kosin, or else I will." Said Morana.

Kosin grabbed his blaster and pointed it at Morana. Immediately, Tenkar drew his blaster on Kosin.

"You don't give the orders around here." Said Kosin.

"And you don't point weapons at Morana." Said Tenkar.

Kosin looked at Tenkar.

"Calm down. We have a mission to complete, no need to shoot ourselves when we have a power ranger right in front of us." Said Kelsa, trying to calm everyone down.

Kosin lowered his weapon, and Tenkar did the same. "She's right" said Kosin. He put his blaster back into the holster and grabbed Andros, then held him up against the wall.

"Since you're about to die, I might as well let you in on a little secret. I know who it was that kidnapped your sister all those years. And I also know who it was that allowed your pathetic father to be captured." Kosin confessed.

Andros tried to move his arms, but they were held by Tenkar and Torzen. Fortunately, his legs were not restrained, so he kicked Kosin's left arm, which he was using to hold up Andros by the neck, then kicked him away. He tried to kick himself free, but Tenkar and Torzen held on tightly.

"Nice try Andros. But you don't stand a chance." Said Kosin as he recovered from the kick.

"No. It's you traitors that don't stand a chance." Said Andros. Before anyone could respond, shots were fired from the entrance, and the large glass section of the roof collapsed and the four Astro rangers descended from the top.

The Psycho Rangers rolled away, and hid behind the empty crates while the rangers got into a line formation.

"Are you okay?" Ashley asked Andros.

"I'm fine, but I'm not too sure about Tommy." Andros responded.

"Where is he?" asked Kat.

"There, behind the crates." Andros pointed to where he hid Tommy.

Kat ran over, leaving the group to take care of the Psycho rangers.

"It's over. Surrender now." Said Andros, knowing full well that the Psycho Rangers would never surrender.

* * *

A/N – Oh no! Is Tommy going to die? Who knows! Except me. I mean, I killed Cassie, so, Tommy can easily be killed off as well.

Don't you guys ever have any questions regarding the chapter or the fic? Or do I just do such a great job? Haha ^^;

Next chapter will be…interesting…

Here's the next preview

* * *

"Send the hunters." Darkonda ordered.

"Yes master." Said Ecliptor as he left.


	38. Engagement

A/N – Dun Dun Dun…they face off again. The title "Engagement" refers to a military battle, not the wedding engagement.

JasonScott – Sorry. I'll stop with the character death teases. I was just trying to build some suspense. But, I may choose to kill off characters still, regardless, but I hope you'll keep reading. And by characters, it's kind of general, so I mean good or bad. Obviously, most if not all of the bad characters are going to die. Regardless of what happens, I hope you'll keep reading. I mean, they killed off so many people in Battlestar Galactica, but I still watched. And they killed off Carson Beckett and Liz Weir in Stargate Atlantis, but I still watched. So, I hope you'll continue to read despite future events of the fic. If it makes you feel better, Ashley and Andros shouldn't be dying. I hate those kinds of endings in a romance story. I honestly don't have a reason to kill either of them.

* * *

The psycho rangers hid behind some crates. They were trapped. They could have tried running, but they most likely wouldn't have been able to outrun the rangers for too long.

"What do we do?" Kelsa asked.

"You need to stay alive to complete the mission. So you run, we'll buy you time. We'll meet at the motel. If we're not back by tonight, then you know what that means." Said Kosin.

"All right." Said Kelsa.

"Well, finally, I get my chance to kill a ranger." Said Morana.

"Go!" Kosin gave his final order as he turned around and jumped over the crate he hid behind. Morana, Tenkar, and Torzen followed, while Kelsa ran away.

* * *

The Psycho rangers, excluding Kelsa, faced the rangers.

"Kelsa's not here." Said T.J. as he looked around.

"Don't go after her." Said Andros.

"No, I'm going after her!" said T.J. in a loud and angry tone as he ran off, chasing after Kelsa.

"T.J.! Stop!" Andros ordered. T.J. didn't comply.

The Psycho rangers rushed the Astro and Zeo Rangers, trying to buy Kelsa enough time to flee. T.J. bypassed the Psycho rangers and ran after Kelsa. Kosin noticed and shot his blaster at T.J. They missed, but hit the crates. The force of the destruction of the crates was enough to knock T.J. down, buying Kelsa a few more seconds.

The yellow rangers faced off against each other. Jason and Carlos fought Tenkar. Zhane and Adam fought Tenkar, and Andros had Kosin all to himself.

"Who was it?" Andros asked Kosin. They were hiding behind crates, trying to shoot each other.

"I won't tell!" Kosin teased. "But I'll give you a clue. The one who took your sister gave you your scars as well."

Kosin exposed himself and fired random shots at Andros, who was hiding behind the crates.

* * *

"You still haven't learned your lesson, have you, Zhane?" Tenkar asked, with his sword in his hand.

"You won't win." Said Zhane. He was focused this time. He didn't allow his emotions to cause him to lose focus. Adam swung his axe from the side. Tenkar jumped back, avoiding the attack, but he didn't see Zhane come from above. Tenkar raised his sword up to block the attack, but the force of Zhane's weapon broke Tenkar's sword, and hit him.

* * *

Jason and Carlos tried hit and run tactics against Torzen. It was slowly working, but they needed a better plan, soon. Jason noticed that Zhane was capable of fighting Tenkar alone, so he called Adam over to assist with Torzen.

* * *

Ashley and Tanya fired their blasters at Morana. They couldn't allow her to get close to them, since she was a short ranger fighter. They hid behind crates and fired when the time was right.

* * *

T.J. was outside of the warehouse. He looked at his scanner and followed Kelsa. The only thing he had in his mind was killing Kelsa and avenging Cassie. He didn't care about the consequences. He wouldn't care if he lost the trust of Andros and his friends, of if he lost his life, as long as he killed Kelsa. He pulled out his scanner and looked for Kelsa. He saw her running east, and followed. She turned right. T.J. blew a hole in the warehouse right of him, and went inside. He continued to run in the same direction as Kelsa. As soon as he got to the end of the warehouse, he blew another hole and exited, catching up with Kelsa. She was only a few meters in front of him now. T.J. fired several shots as he ran after Kelsa. Kelsa drew her own weapon and fired some shots as well. Both rangers hit each other and fell down. T.J. and Kelsa both got up and pointed their blasters at each other.

They walked around in a circle with their weapons held high.

"I'm going to make you pay for what you did to Cassie." Said T.J.

"You're a power ranger. Isn't there a code of conduct you have to follow?"

"Shut up!" screamed T.J.

"Well, I'm not sorry." Said Kelsa as she pulled the trigger while jumping away from T.J.'s line of fire.

* * *

Andros was still getting beaten by Kosin. He couldn't handle one psycho ranger on his own. Kosin held Andros up against the wall again. This time, Kosin has his sword-like weapon raised up to Andros's neck.

"I should have been red ranger. I'm clearly better than you." Said Kosin, in a hateful tone.

He winded his arm back, ready to strike with his sword, but then, just as before, he was shot and Andros was let free. Both red rangers looked at the direction of the shot and saw the Pink Astro Ranger.

"You! You're supposed to be dead!" said Kosin.

"C-Cassie?" asked Andros.

The pink ranger ran over to Andros. "Andros, It's me, Karone."

"So, you're no longer Astronema I see." Said Kosin.

"How do you…"

"Let's take him down, Karone." Said Andros.

"How cute. Ranger siblings." Suddenly, Kosin's suit lost power and deactivated.

"Huh? What's happening?!" Kosin wondered aloud. Karone and Andros were also confused.

Kosin tried morphing again, but failed. "No. No. No!!" he yelled.

Andros realized he had just won the battle. "Karone, go after T.J.." Andros ordered. "I can take care of Kosin now."

"Got it." Said Karone as she went off to find T.J.

"You lose, Kosin." Said Andros as he raised his blaster and pointed it at Kosin.

* * *

Morana ran towards the two yellow rangers with her knives out. As she ran, her suit suddenly lost power and deactivated. She stopped dead in her tracks.

"What..." She was confused. She, as well as the other yellow rangers, had no idea why Morana's suit suddenly deactivated. Morana looked over at the other Psycho rangers. They too had lost power to their suits. Instead of retreating, Morana continued her charge towards the yellow rangers. Ashley set her blaster to stun. Morana swung her arms, trying to hit either ranger, but Tanya blocked all of Morana's attacks and pushed her away, allowing Ashley to get a clear shot. She pulled the trigger and hit Morana in the chest, rendering her unconscious.

* * *

Tenkar pushed Zhane back and prepared to defend himself again from Zhane's attack. As Zhane jumped into the air, Tenkar's suit deactivated. Tenkar was confused. However, he managed to dodge the attack in the nick of time.

Zhane stood and wondered why Tenkar's suit suddenly deactivated. He watched as Tenkar became angry at his sudden loss of power. Tenkar noticed Zhane again.

Tenkar screamed furiously and charged at Zhane. Zhane ducked the right hook that was coming from Tenkar, and swung his weapon up, piercing Tenkar's right lung, just missing his heart. Zhane stood up and took out his weapon from Tenkar's body. Zhane demorphed and looked Tenkar in the eye.

"That was for my mother." Said Zhane. He watched as Tenkar fell back and bled out.

* * *

One after the other, Carlos and the two Zeo rangers relentlessly attacked Torzen, who could not stop blocking. The rangers didn't give him any opportunity to fight back. Suddenly, Torzen's ranger suit deactivated, and his hammers disappeared as well. All four rangers were confused.

Carlos drew his blaster, which was set to stun, and shot Torzen. Adam and Jason went over and put restraints on him.

* * *

Karone followed her scanner. She spotted one life sign nearby and pulled out her blaster. She slowly and quietly crept towards the corner of the building, trying to remain undetected by the life sign around the corner. She finally turned the corner and pointed her blaster out. She saw T.J., on top of a pile of garbage bags, in civilian clothes, with a tear in his shirt, and a gash half a foot long, bleeding, but not profusely. .

"T.J.!" she called out.

T.J. looked at Karone and got up. "Cassie?" He walked at first, but gradually ran to Karone, despite his injury, and hugged her tightly.

"T.J., it's me, Karone." She said as she pulled away and demorphed. "I'm sorry."

T.J. was speechless. He didn't know what to say, and the situation began to feel awkward.

"Looks like we lost her." Said Karone, trying to break the tension.

"Yeah." Said T.J.

"Are you okay?" Karone asked, looking at his wound.

"I'll live." He said, wincing in pain.

"Let's go back to the warehouse." Suggested Karone.

* * *

The Rangers met in the middle of the warehouse. Jason went after T.J. and Karone to make sure they were fine. The Psycho rangers were on their knees, and their ankles were locked by restraints.

"What do we do now?" Carlos asked.

"Who gave you your morphers?" Andros asked the psycho rangers.

"I'm gong to kill you!" said Morana, trying to free herself from her restraints. Both Kosin and Torzen remained calm, but Kosin had a hateful look on his face.

Tanya and Adam went to assist Kat in helping Tommy.

Andros paced back and forth. He took out his blaster and left it at his side.

"What are you waiting for, Andros? Kill them!" said Zhane.

"Zhane, we can't. We're power rangers. We don't kill humans." Said Jason.

Andros stopped. He pointed his blaster at Torzen and fired. Torzen fell forward instantly.

"Andros!" Ashley and Jason cried out.

"Tell me who created your morphers!" Andros demanded.

They remained silent. Andros pointed his gun at Morana and fired. The force the shot forced her to fall back.

"Andros! Stop!" Jason and Ashley pleaded. The two stood in front of Andros, trying to block is line of fire.

Andros ignored their plea.

"This is your last chance, Kosin." Said Andros.

"You and the people of this world will bow down before the one who sent me." Said Kosin.

Andros pointed his blaster at Kosin, with his finger on the trigger. Jason put his hand on Andros's right wrist, trying to forcefully lower his blaster. Andros pushed Jason aside and pointed his blaster at Kosin again. Ashley stood by Andros's left side, continually begging him not to fire.

(FLASHBACK)

Andros and Kosin laid on the green grass, under the clear sky, breathing heavily as they waited for the ship above them to land.

"That was close." Said Kosin.

"Yeah, almost lost you there." Said Andros.

"Good thing you saved my life." Said Kosin.

"I'll never let you die while I'm around." Said Andros.

"Thank you, friend."

(END FLASHBACK)

The two former friends stared at each other intensely until finally, Andros pulled the trigger.

* * *

Darkonda stood from the observation deck as he watched his army of Quantrons board the Dark Fortress.

"Master." Said Ecliptor as he came in.

"What is it?" Darkonda asked without turning around.

"I have received word from Kelsa. The Psycho rangers, excluding herself, have been killed." Ecliptor reported.

"What?!" Darkonda turned around. He took a moment to calm himself down.

"As her if the virus is in place. If so, send the hunters." Darkonda ordered.

"Yes master." Said Ecliptor as he left.

Darkonda turned back to his army. "Soon. Soon I shall rule the galaxy."

* * *

A/N – Okay, so, the Pyschos, except Kelsa, have been defeated…or have they? ;-)

Here's the next preview.

* * *

"Zhane, take out their engines and weapons. I want to bring that ship in." Andros ordered.

"Got it. Firing smart shooters." Said Zhane.

"Direct hit." Deca reported.

"They're dead in the water, so its time to stop the other one. Zhane, take it out." Ordered Andros as he maneuvered the ship and chased after the other little ships.

However, before Zhane could fire, the ship disappeared. "It's gone." Said Zhane.

* * *

Hm….perphaps something to do with the hunters?


	39. Hunters

Jusea – With Zhane and T.J., yeah, I made them revenge driven, but for Andros, it was more of a "they're too dangerous to be kept alive" thing, rather than him wanting to kill the psychos. You'll be finding out what Kelsa's mission is this next chapter, when it's revealed.

JasonScott – ready and see if the hunters have a cloak

* * *

Everyone stood around Tommy's bed, in their ranger outfits, excluding T.J. His identity had already been known to his father, so revealing it to those under his command didn't seem to matter much. He had also received treatment for the injury he sustained during the fight. After the battle against the psycho rangers, Tommy was rushed to a military hospital. They couldn't go to a normal hospital because they needed to keep Tommy's identity a secret, and the injury would have raised suspicion in a normal hospital. Fortunately, T.J.'s dad was able to help Tommy out by providing a very private recovery room, as well as allowing him to receive medical treatment from a military hospital. It had been a day, and Tommy was recovering.

"I'm fine guys, really. I'm ready to go home. And I still have to finish a paper on the Brachiosaurs." Said Tommy, who wanted to go home.

"You need to recover. You were shot yesterday after all." Said Kat, who held onto his left hand.

"Really, I'm fine." Said Tommy.

"You're just like Andros." Said Ashley. "Just rest, and you'll be out in no time."

"Any idea how the shot penetrated my suit?" Tommy asked.

"I wasn't able to do a scan, but I'm assuming they fired something with intense heat and speed, which is bad since we have no defense against it." Andros answered.

* * *

Andros stood alone in the bridge, facing the view screen, which displayed the empty star filled space.

"You wanted to see me?" asked T.J. from behind.

Andros turned around and faced T.J.

"Yes." He answered.

"What is it?" asked T.J.

"Back at the warehouse, I gave you a direct order, and you disobeyed me." Said Andros.

"I know." Said T.J.

"The night before, I told you not to let your emotions cloud your mind. I told you that your desire for revenge could get one of us killed. Yet you still disobeyed my order." Said Andros. He grew noticeably angry.

"Look, everyone except Tommy is fine. So, no harm done." Said T.J.

"This time!" Andros yelled.

"You disobeyed a direct order from me! I will not tolerate that anymore!" yelled Andros.

"What do you want from me?! I'm not a Karovan soldier! If Kelsa had killed Ashley, you'd have done the same!" T.J. shouted in his defense.

Andros took a deep breath. "Give me your morpher." He said calmly.

"What?"

"I said, give me your morpher. I'm taking you off the team until I can trust you again." Said Andros.

T.J. took off his morpher and tossed it at Andros, which he caught.

"Zhane will take you down to Earth." Said Andros.

Without saying a word, T.J. left the bridge, leaving Andros alone on the bridge again.

* * *

Andros lied on his bed in his quarters. He was tired. Tired of the fighting, the killing, and the losses. The years-long war was slowly taking its toll on Andros.

The door slid open and Karone entered. "Hey." She said.

"Hi." Said Andros.

"How are you doing?" asked Karone. She noticed the empty bottle of Terinyc next to the bed, but didn't say anything.

"I'm fine." Andros lied.

"Then why is there an empty bottle of Terinyc on the ground?" asked Karone.

Andros remained silent.

"Andros, I'm worried about you." Said Karone.

"There's no need to worry Karone, I'm fine."

"You have a problem, Andros. You need to stop before it becomes worse." Said Karone.

"What are you talking about?" asked Andros.

"Terinyc. You've been drinking more of it lately. Ever since Cassie…" Karone couldn't bring herself to say it.

"Look, I may drink Terinyc, but I don't have a problem." Said Andros.

Karone sighed. "One of the symptoms is denial." She said.

"Can we talk about this tomorrow, Karone? I'm tired." Said Andros.

Karone gave in. "Fine. But stop drinking. If not for you, then for me and Ashley." Karone pleaded before leaving Andros's quarters.

* * *

It had been a couple of days since the battle at the warehouse. Ashley, Carlos, and T.J. were still on Earth, as were the Zeo rangers. Andros was in the bridge, doing a regular systems check, when the alarms went off.

"Deca, report." Said Andros.

"I am detecting ships dropping out of hyperrush." Deca reported.

"How many?"

"Two." Deca answered.

"Set course for the nearest ship on an intercept course. Maximum thrust." Andros ordered.

Andros rushed over to the pilot's chair.

"What's happening?" asked Zhane who had just come in with Karone. He took the tactical system while Karone monitored the ship's systems.

"Two ships just came out of hyperrush. Deca, magnify on the ship." Said Andros.

Deca complied and displayed the ship on the screen. The ship was small, but it was well armed, and it was also fast.

"Moz Kel Ari. Sons of Ari. They're bounty hunters." Said Andros.

"Bounty hunters? What are they doing here?" Zhane wondered.

"Let's see if we can bring one in. Zhane, take out their engines and weapons. I want to bring that ship in." Andros ordered.

"Got it. Firing smart shooters." Said Zhane.

"Direct hit." Deca reported.

"They're dead in the water, so its time to stop the other one. Zhane, take it out." Ordered Andros as he maneuvered the ship and chased after the other little ships.

However, before Zhane could fire, the ship disappeared. "It's gone." Said Zhane.

"Cloak." Said Karone.

"What?" asked Andros.

"The Moz Kel Ari have cloaking technology. I encountered them once, when I was Astronema." Karone explained.

Andros turned the ship back towards the one ship that had been disabled.

"Andros, I've heard that no one has ever taken a son of Ari prisoner." Said Karone.

"We'll see about that. Deca, open the bay doors, we're going to-" Before Andros could finish giving out his order, the disabled ship exploded.

The rangers were left in shock. "What happened?" Zhane asked.

Andros looked over at the sensors. "An explosion from within the ship. I guess that's why no son of Ari has ever been taken prisoner before. Doesn't look like anything can be salvaged. Karone, make contact with the other rangers. Update them on the situation and tell them to be careful." Said Andros as he got up to leave the bridge.

"Will do." Said Karone as she watched her brother leave the bridge.

* * *

Kelsa stood alone in the middle of the parking lot of the Angel Grove Stadium. The parking lot was empty since there were no events happening there. She held a laptop under her left armpit, and held it tightly. She held her scanner in her right hand, looking occasionally for a message or a life sign.

Kelsa heard a loud noise from above. The noise was familiar to her. It was the sound of a ship landing. She looked up and saw a ship descending near her. When it finally landed, Kelsa put her scanner away. The door opened and five tall, bulky, black armored men emerged from the ship. They looked as if they were very well trained soldiers, and had black helmets. They carried large guns almost half their height, as well as a blaster on their right side.

"Do you have the program storage device?" one of the men asked. He had a red wristband on his arms, unlike the other four, indicating that he was the leader of the group.

Kelsa nodded. "Yes. Now let's get out of here." She said.

All five men pointed their large guns at Kelsa and fired. Kelsa was quick enough to dodge. However, her morpher was hit in the crossfire, and badly damaged. She realized her morpher was damaged when she failed to morph. She also immediately realized that she had been betrayed by Darkonda. She ran towards the nearest subway station. The five men followed her. Kelsa turned at many of the corners, pushing away any civilians that had not yet moved aside already. The men in pursuit fired several shots at her as they began to fall behind. Civilian bystanders screamed, fled, or ducked. Kelsa's pursuers missed, and eventually gave up their pursuit.

Kelsa entered the subway station and took the westbound train, which was one level below the ticket vending machine. She got on the train that was headed west for the downtown core of Angel Grove. She didn't care where she was going, as long as it was away from the Moz Kel Ari. As soon as the people saw Kelsa, in her psycho suit, they panicked and fleed the train, leaving her alone. As the train moved, Kelsa began to relax. She slowly sat down and took out her laptop. She had modified it, making it more advanced. She had used it to send a message to Darkonda. She was backed into a corner, and there was only one possible way out of it. She had to contact the rangers, and ask for their help.

* * *

Andros walked into the bridge. "What is it, Karone?" he asked.

"You're not going to believe this." She said.

"Not going to believe what?"

"I just received a message from Kelsa." Answered Karone.

"Show me."

* * *

A/N – OOOOO!!!! What's gonna happen?!! Kelsa's mission will be revealed next chapter.

I don't want to spoil next chapter too much. So, this time, I'm going to change things up by giving you the title of the next chapter.

Chapter 40: Deal


	40. Deal

A/N – I probably should've mentioned this last chapter. The story's going to go darker for a few chapters, for example, there's Andros's alcohol abuse. But, I promise you a semi-happy ending. And I say semi-happy because, well, Cassie's not around…unless you want me to use time travel and revive her. Anyways, it'll be kind of like a power rangers ending…so evil defeated, good guys win, and they'll probably keep their powers too. It'll be like a roller coaster. Go down dark, then come back up happy.

Jusea – Are you sympathizing with Cassie's killer? :o

Jason – They have cloak in Star Wars? I was thinking Star Trek. I didn't show the reactions of the other rangers because they haven't found out about it yet. Ok, well, truthfully, I didn't think of it. Sorry ^^'

* * *

Andros stood in the bridge as he and Karone read the message on the display screen, which was sent by Kelsa, the last remaining Psycho Ranger.

"The Moz Kel Ari are hunting me. I have intel you would want. Meet me at Sig-Zil and Gor-Kal in sector Lor-Vin. Y Axis Fi. Meet in Fi Kor. Come alone." Andros read the message aloud.

"What do those words mean?" asked Karone.

"They're numbers. Back in the military, the special elites used renamed words that corresponded with a number from zero to nine. "Sig-Zil" means sixty. "Gor-Kal" means ninety-three. "Lor-Vin" means K-seven. "Y Axis Fi" means vertical axis one". Andros explained

Andros walked over to Karone's console and inputted the data onto the map of the city.

"Sector K-seven looks to be Felixton Station. Y Axis Fi must mean level one. She must mean the ticket vending level." Said Andros.

"What about Fi-Kor?" Karone asked.

"One hour. That's when I'm meeting her." Answered Andros. Andros turned around and headed towards the exit.

"Are you actually going to meet her?" asked Karone.

"Yes. The other psychos are dead, and I can handle myself against one." Said Andros.

"At least take Zhane with you, or let me go with you." Karone pleaded.

"I'll be fine Karone. I've been in more dangerous situations before." Said Andros. His back was turned against the exit door. "I'll come back, I promise." He turned around to face the door, and then immediately turned back around.

"Don't mention this to anyone, especially T.J." said Andros before he finally leaving the bridge.

* * *

Andros went down to Earth, and demorphed in an alley near Felixton Station. Before coming to Earth, he had changed into some Earth clothes to blend in with the crowd. He went down the stairs and into the station. He scanned the level with his eyes, looking for Kelsa. He saw her standing in the opposite corner, holding a laptop. She noticed him as well. They both walked towards each other, while constantly scanning the area for other people.

They were finally face to face. "You said you had intel I would want." Said Andros.

"Yes. Come with me." Said Kelsa as she showed Andros two subway tickets. They went down to the lower level and waited for a train. The westbound train arrived and they got on at the end, where there were no people. They took a seat across from each other.

"I came to Earth with two missions. One was to kill the rangers. The other was to sabotage the Earth's defense system." Kelsa explained.

"What do you mean?" Andros asked.

"I hacked into the military computer systems of the major military powers, as well as some of the minor powers. I planted a program that would disable all their military technology with the press of a button. All their communications would black out, and their vehicles would shut down."

"Why?"

"It's easier to fight an enemy when they have no weapon. Darkonda doesn't want to waste resources on fighting the militaries of Earth." Kelsa explained.

"Darkonda? What about Dark Specter?" asked Andros.

"He should be dead. Darkonda's plan was to take over the United Alliance of Evil, making him supreme ruler."

Andros was a little surprised and shocked by the turn of events. "So, what is it that you want from me?" he asked.

"Earlier today, I was told by Darkonda to meet the Moz Kel Ari at the parking lot of the Angel Grove Stadium. When I met with them, they tried to kill me, and damaged my morpher." Kelsa pulled back her sleeve to show Andros her damaged morpher.

"Darkonda has a bounty on my head. I want you to keep me safe, or get the hunters off my trail. In return, I'll remove the program I installed into the military's system. I'll also provide you with anything and everything I know about Darkonda and his plans. I'll also provide you with a devise that will deactivate every Quantron in the galaxy if you help me." Said Kelsa.

"What's to stop me from killing you right here, right now?" asked Andros.

"Were you not listening? Darkonda is going to come and take Earth as his own. Without the military, the Earth won't even be able to put up a fight. It will fall faster than KO-35 did!"

Andros took a moment to think.

"Can you go into hiding while I speak to the other rangers?" Andros asked.

"I can try, but they are the Moz Kel Ari. I won't be able to hide or run for too long." Said Kelsa.

"Give me a day while I formulate a plan." Said Andros.

"You'll help me?"

"Yes."

* * *

Andros returned to the Megaship after meeting with Kelsa. He was greeted by Karone.

"How did it go?" she asked as the siblings walked along the corridor of the ship, towards the bridge.

"I agreed to help her." He said.

"What? What did she offer you?" asked Karone.

"A way to deactivate every single Quantron in the galaxy, among other things." Answered Andros.

"Are you sure you can trust her?" asked Karone.

"No. But if she tries to use us, I'll just kill her, or let T.J. kill her." Said Andros. "Besides, if we can really shut down every Quantron, that would help us greatly in the war. This deal is worth it."

The two got on the elevator and rode it up to the bridge.

"So are you going to tell the others?" asked Karone.

"I don't want to, but I'm probably going to have to. I'll see if I can plan something without them." Said Andros as he walked over to a console.

"I'm going to go fill Zhane in on the situation." Said Karone as she left the bridge, leaving Andros alone.

* * *

An hour later, Andros met Karone and Zhane in the conference room to discuss a plan to help Kelsa.

"There are five Sons of Ari on Earth right now. The three of us can take them on, but it would be better to have the help of the others."

"Why don't we ask for their help then?" asked Zhane.

"We can't ask T.J. for his help, obviously. And, I don't know if Carlos and Ashley are willing to help." Answered Andros.

"So what's the plan?" asked Karone.

"We use Kelsa as bait." Said Andros.

"I don't think she would agree to that." Said Karone.

"Based on the intelligence I have on the Moz Kel Ari, they don't have snipers or long range shooters. So, they'll need to get close to her." Said Andros.

"We still have to find their ship." Said Zhane.

"Kelsa provided me with a way of detecting them. We need to modify our sensors to detect anything in the subspace spectrum with an EM variance of .0018 macrons." Said Andros. "We can find their ship and destroy it from orbit with a seeker missile."

"I still think we should ask Jason, Adam, and Carlos for their help." Said Karone.

"Having them with us would increase our odds." Said Zhane.

Andros sighed in defeat. He knew they were right, but didn't feel too comfortable working with them, considering their objections to killing the prisoners during the final encounter with the psycho rangers.

"Make the call, Karone." Said Andros.

* * *

A/N – Next chapter is going to be intense

Here's the preview

* * *

"Adam and Jason told me. I know you're going to help Kelsa! But why?! She killed Cassie! My best friend!" Her voice grew louder and angrier by the sentence.

"Cassie was my friend too." Said Andros.

"Yet you're helping her killer?"

"I'm doing it to help put an end to this war!" Andros snapped. "Kelsa's going to give us the means of shutting down every Quantron in the galaxy! If we have that, we might even be able to turn the tides of this war! I know you don't like this, and I don't like this either, but I've got to do whatever it takes to win this war!"

* * *

See, intense.


	41. Exchange

A/N – Quite a dramatic chapter. Apparently, this chapter is longer, so, I hope this makes up for last chapter Jason ^^'

Jason – Feel free to request more things. If you want to see more Jason or Rocky, just let me know. I'll probably end up working it into the fic. The same goes for you, Inspace and Jusea.

* * *

Ashley was at the Youth Center, having lunch with Carlos and the Zeo Rangers, excluding Tommy, who was still at the hospital, still recovering.

Adam and Jason had gone away to answer a call from the Megaship.

"Wonder why they were the only ones who were called." Said Carlos.

"Maybe it's a special mission." Said Tanya.

"But we're Andros's teammates, he should be calling us." Said Carlos. Ashley didn't say anything. She simply looked down at her drink. Kat noticed Ashley staring down at her drink, and interpreted it as a desire to change the subject.

"Is T.J. still not answering your calls?" she asked Ashley.

"No." she answered quietly.

"I went to over to his house, but he wasn't around." Carlos added.

Adam and Jason came back.

"Why'd they call you?" asked Carlos.

Adam and Jason looked at each other. "They want us for a special mission." Answered Jason.

"What kind of mission?" asked Kat.

Adam and Jason looked at each other again. "Don't tell T.J., but, Andros talked to Kelsa. Apparently some bounty hunters are after her. Andros agreed to help get rid of them if Kelsa agrees to provide them with a way of deactivating Quantrons, every last one of them." Adam explained.

"What?!" Carlos couldn't believe it. Andros was making a deal with the person who killed their friend. Ashley was in shock as well. Carlos's relationship with Cassie made him forget the reason why Andros was making the deal with Kelsa. He only thought of the deal, and the fact that Andros had agreed to it.

"Can you believe what Andros is doing?" Carlos asked Ashley.

Still in disbelief, Ashley stood up and left.

"Hey, where are you going?" Carlos asked Ashley as she got up to leave.

Without answering, Ashley was gone.

* * *

The three Karovans were on their way to the glider bay.

"Tell Jason and Adam to meet us at the harbor entrance." Said Andros as he led the other two rangers through the corridor of the ship.

"Got it." Said Karone.

"I'm still surprised Jason agreed to help." Andros muttered, but not loud enough for the others to hear.

"Andros, Ashley is approaching the ship." Deca reported.

The rangers arrived at the glider bay, and waited for Ashley to come into the ship. As soon as Ashley was in the corridor, Zhane and Karone said hi, then went into the glider bay, giving Andros and Ashley some time to themselves.

"I know what you're planning to do." Ashley confessed, in a slightly angry tone..

"What is it that you think I'm planning to do?" Asked Andros.

"Cut the crap, Andros. Adam and Jason told me. I know you're going to help Kelsa! But why?! She killed Cassie! My best friend!" Her voice grew louder and angrier by the sentence.

"Cassie was my friend too." Said Andros.

"Yet you're helping her killer?"

"I'm doing it to help put an end to this war!" Andros snapped. "Kelsa's going to give us the means of shutting down every Quantron in the galaxy! If we have that, we might even be able to turn the tides of this war! I know you don't like this, and I don't like this either, but I've got to do whatever it takes to win this war!"

The couple took a moment to clear the emotions running in their heads.

"I'll stay here and keep an eye on sensors and vitals. Go." Said Ashley, quietly, with her eyes away from Andros.

* * *

T.J. sat in his car, parked on Main street, where Cassie had died. He looked at his scanner. Suddently, Three colored dots appeared near T.J.'s position. The dots were red, pink, and silver.

T.J. put on his seatbelt and turned on the ignition. He held the scanner in one hand as he drove off towards the location of his friends.

* * *

Ashley stood alone in the bridge, facing the view screen which had been divided into four screens. One screen, the bottom right section, displayed the vital signs of the three Astro rangers that were on the mission. The other three screens displayed the view of the rangers. Each ranger suit had a camera that displayed real-time footage of anything in the path of the camera.

She began to feel uneasy. She had a bad feeling something bad was going to happen. She curled her bottom lip and gently bit it as she waited for the hunters to arrive.

* * *

Kelsa stood in the fourth of sixth level of the parking lot of a random building. They avoided mall parking lots to avoid civilian casualties. They also avoided the top floor to avoid unwanted attention from civilians working in their offices in taller, nearby buildings.

Andros kept an eye on his scanner. He and the other rangers took positions under or behind various cars, trying to stay out of sight.

Kelsa paced around, waiting for the Moz Kel Ari. Suddenly, she stopped dead in her tracks. She heard stomp-like footsteps. She knew they had come.

The Moz Kel Ari turned the corner and walked closer to Kelsa. All five were present.

"Stay where you are." Said Kelsa. She and the sons of Ari stood three meters apart.

"We received your transmission. We agree to the terms of your offer. Where is the device?" the leader asked.

"It's at a safe location." Answered Kelsa, nervously.

"Tell us where the location is, and hand over your morpher. Then we shall never have to see each other again." Said the leader.

Kelsa took off her morpher. "The device is…"

Suddenly, a loud sound was heard from behind the Moz Kel Ari. A red sports car drove towards the hunters at a fast speed. The hunters turned around and saw the car coming towards them. The leader and two other hunters rolled out of the way, as well as Kelsa. One hunter however, was not quick enough and was hit by the car. The car stopped and went back for another attempt at running over Kelsa and the hunters, this time in reverse. There were no casualties this time. The red car stopped again, and went forward. The Moz Kel Ari opened fire on the car. The driver jumped out and rolled until he hit the tire of a car.

"Who was that?" Zhane whispered over the radio.

"Move in, now!" ordered Andros.

* * *

None of the rangers had a good view of the car that attacked the hunters. Ashley looked at the view screen to see what kind of car had attacked the hunters. She saw a small red car, but didn't get a chance to see the model of the car, or even the license plate.

* * *

The hunters walked to the driver of the red car. He was bald and had dark skin. He lifted his head as he groaned from the pain, and faced the hunters. It was T.J. The leader pointed his long gun at T.J.

Before the leader could pull the trigger, he was hit by the shot of a blaster, causing him to fall to his left side, giving T.J. a chance to roll away.

The other hunters turned to the direction of the shot and saw six power rangers with their blasters out.

Like the battle at the warehouse, the two opposing sides rushed each other, while Kelsa hid behind an SUV and watched the fight, unaware of T.J.'s presense in the parking lot.

The leader knocked Andros's blaster out of his hand. It slid under a car. The leader swung his right arm, Andros blocked with his left arm and kicked the leader in the stomach with his right leg, but it had minimal effect. Andros backed away and summoned his spiral saber. The hunter drew two daggers from the side of his boots. Andros made the first move by swinging from above. The hunter blocked with one dagger, and used the other dagger to slash Andros. Sparks flew in the dark parking lot and Andros fell down. The hunter tried to stab Andros with his daggers, but he rolled away and got back up.

The two leaders came at each other again. As they got closer, Andros got down on his knees and swung his left leg, knocking the hunter off his feet. Then he struck down his saber on the hunter, but the hunter blocked with his daggers. Andros backed away, and the hunter got up. One more time they rushed each other. Andros swung his saber from the right side with one hand. The hunter used both daggers to block the attack, giving Andros the opportunity to grab the hunter's blaster, and shoot him in the lower chest area with it. The hunter fell down. Andros pointed the gun a the hunter's dead, and ended the battle.

Andros looked around and saw the other rangers. They had also managed to defeat the other hunters.

* * *

T.J. saw a window of opportunity. He saw Andros's blaster under the car next to him, and also saw Kelsa in the car across from him. He covertly grabbed the gun, then slowly and quietly walked over to the car across. Kelsa walked back out into the open view, since the hunters had been defeated.

"Great job." She said to the rangers.

T.J. snuck up behind Kelsa and grabbed her by the neck from the front and pointed his blaster at her. His anger caused his hand to shake a little, but not enough to throw off his aim. He was also ignoring the pain on his wound from jumping out of that car, which worsened his previous injury, which he sustained while fighting Kelsa.

"T.J.! Let her go!" Andros ordered.

T.J. quickly got behind Kelsa. He held by her the back of her neck, and pointed his blaster at the back of Kelsa's head. "I can't do that." He said.

"T.J., we need her!" said Andros. He still had the hunter's blaster in his hands. He aimed for T.J.'s head.

* * *

Ashley saw Andros's arm raised, and the blaster pointed at T.J.'s head.

"Andros, what are you doing?!" Ashley asked over the com system.

* * *

"She killed Cassie!" T.J. screamed angrily.

"Please, T.J. Put down your weapon, please." Andros pleaded, one last time.

"Andros. Please, calm down. Put your weapon down." Ashley pleaded over the radio. Like last time, Andros ignored her plea.

A tear fell from T.J.'s eyes. He shook his head. "I can't let her live." Said T.J.

"Andros! Don't do this!" Ashley pleaded once again..

"I'm sorry." Andros whispered as he pulled the trigger.

* * *

A/N – I know you guys must be upset. You'll see why I did it.

I promise this is the LAST ranger death…with the exception of unlikely flashbacks (so like I can go to a flashback of Cassie dying again is what I mean). I had more evil ideas. I had an idea to kill Ashley's entire family…but that's never gonna happen, and I already got the dramatic reaction from her, so, no need to overkill it. I also promise a happy ending.

JASONSCOTTLEEFAN – If you choose to discontinue reading, I understand. However, I hope that you will at least read the next two chapters or so to see why I killed T.J. Also, thank you for being such a loyal reader, and constant reviewer from day 1. If this is the end, then thank you, take care, and goodbye…but I hope it's not the end for us....but please don't go! You have to read the happy ending!

Jusea – wait til you see what happens next….unless you stop reading as well, but I hope you keep reading.

This is where things start to really go dark. I don't mean dark as in the world ending; I mean dark as in characters finally having to deal with all the issues and stuff.

As for this chapter, the scene with T.J. and Andros is a total rip off of 24, season 6, episode 4, where Jack Bauer killed Curtis Manning. I wanted to write about Andros's reaction to the incident. Originally, this fic was a prequel so that I could write a different fic, and include the T.J./Andros scene. But then as I wrote this fic, I abandoned the idea of the other fic and just added the scene here. Now, Ashley's reaction is going to be different from the reaction I had planned in the "sequel" fic. Anyways, I needed a reason to have the two guys in that situation. And, since I stole from 24, I thought, revenge. So, I hooked up Cassie and T.J. back in like chapter 12, which seems like so long ago, and then killed her off later on so that I could have this set up. If I didn't have this scene, Cassie would still be alive right now, but you also wouldn't have had those great, dark character moments.

I gave the title "exchange" because of the exchange between Kelsa and hunters, and Kelsa and the rangers, but also because of T.J.. Andros gave up his friend for the disruptor. He exchanged a life for a means to end the war.

Here's the preview for the next chapter

* * *

"When you tortured Karone, was that necessary too?" Ashley asked.

"Were you so cold blooded back then as well? Would you have killed me, Carlos, T.J., and Cassie too?" Ashley yelled out. She took a moment to wipe away her tears.

"What do you want from me?!" Andros yelled

* * *

Hope that got you interested


	42. Reaction

A/N – Wow, very emotional reviews guys. Man, you guys really hate Andros now. The reason I took away T.J.'s morpher, as Junglefuryfanatic reminded me, was so that T.J. wouldn't have a ranger suit to protect him when Andros kills him. Man, I put off updating ch 41 for a day or two cause I was worried you guys would stop reading ^^'

JASONSCOTTLEEFAN – thank you so much for sticking around. I realize now that I forgot to mention in the previous chapter that the hunters' blasters don't have a stun setting. Andros didn't want to kill T.J., the dialogue kinda gave it away. Thank you so much for sticking around :D

JungleFuryFanatic – first off, Jungle fury is awesome. Now, Zordon's captured, and Jason has no authority to take away Andros's powers. Andros is the one who provided the Astro rangers with Astro morphers. My fanfic is darker, and its non-canon, so, anything goes. Also, he's a ranger from another planet, who knows what he's supposed to do. Jason may be the original red ranger, but, he still has no authority over Andros, or any of the other rangers. Also, Jason wouldn't beat up Andros. It's not in the character's nature. What's OOC? I'll bring those guys back for the finale. As for Trini, doubtful. She's retired. And there is no way on Earth, this fic will feature any slash. Absolutely no slash, unless its canon…so no slash. Btw, have you read all my chapters? Or is 41st the first chapter you've read? Cause back in chapter 39, T.J. got his morpher taken away. Also, I never wrote that T.J. morphed, so, he was kinda not morphed.

Jusea – Makes perfect sense that you're bittersweet about it. I'm not a fan of character deaths either ^^' If this were in camera, it would be easier to explain, but T.J. was behind him, and only his head was visible. Also, if T.J. was shot in let's say, the leg, he'd still have the time to shoot and kill Kelsa.

* * *

T.J. fell and dropped the weapon. He lied there, dead. Ashley couldn't believe what had just happened, nor could anyone else. Everyone stood in shock, and in silence.

Ashley stood in shock on the bridge. Her lip trembled. She used her hands to lean on the consoles to support herself. Her knees felt weak from the shock.

Andros dropped the blaster on the ground and stood there. He wished he didn't need to do that. He wished he had his own blaster. Since the hunters' blasters didn't have a stun setting, he could only kill T.J. Shooting him anywhere else would've given him the time he needed to kill Kelsa. Zhane walked over to Kelsa. "Take me to the device." He said.

He and Kelsa began to walk away. Karone, Jason and Adam simply stood there, still trying to accept the fact that a ranger killed another ranger.

Zhane came back with a laptop. Kelsa was gone.

"Guys!" Karone called out. She pointed to one of the hunters that was still alive. On his chest, there was a circular pattern that was glowing.

"Move! Now!" Zhane ordered as he grabbed Andros by the arm and dragged him away from the explosion.

The hunter exploded, destroying some of the nearby cars. Miraculously, the infrastructure of the parking lot did not collapse.

* * *

The explosion snapped Ashley out of her shocked trance.

"Andros? Karone? Zhane?!" she called out. She looked at the bottom right section of the screen. All three life vital signs were stable, indicating that they were still alive.

The last thing Ashley needed today was more dead friends.

Ashley felt the same pain she felt she Cassie died. Tears fell from her face. Ashley breathed heavily.

"T.J…." she said quietly. She left the bridge and headed straight for her quarters, to mourn her friend, alone.

* * *

Adam and Jason left the group and went their separate ways. They were quite shocked and disgusted by Andros's actions, and wanted nothing to do with him. The Astro rangers went back to the Megaship.

Once the rangers got back to the megaship, Andros went up to his quarters.

Once inside, he placed the laptop on his bed. Andros sat against the wall. His hands ran through his hair. His breathing got heavier, and faster, until finally, he screamed out loud in frustration and pain. He began to sob, just as he did when he realized he had tortured Karone.

He couldn't believe he had killed his own friend. He had lost many friends before, but he had never killed one before.

He stood up and went to the cargo bay to get a bottle of Terynic. When he got there, he opened up a crate, but it was empty. He opened another, but it was also empty. He opened all the crates, and they were all empty. Frustrated, he threw some of the crates, while smashing the others. His breathing was still heavy, almost as if he had been running for a long time. He needed to get his mind off of T.J., so he back to his quarters, got the laptop, and then went up to the bridge.

* * *

Once on the bridge, Andros placed the laptop on top of a console and opened it. He turned it on and entered the access codes.

"Deca, create a private, isolated network and transfer all data from the laptop to the network." Andros ordered.

Within moments, the transfer was complete.

"Activate the Quantron disruptor." Andros ordered.

Deca complied. Andros checked the sensors to see if it was working. He detected a repetitive frequency being broadcasted into space, but it didn't confirm whether the disruptor was working or not.

The door hissed as it opened. Andros turned around and saw Ashley come in.

Her nose was red, which led him to believe she was crying. He knew why. He was the cause of it after all.

"Hi." Andros said quiety. For the first time, he felt fear. He was afraid of what was going to happen next. Though Andros could control his emotions, he felt like an emotional bomb, ready to explode. He turned around and went back to work, unable to face Ashley.

Ashley looked down towards the floor. "I quit." She said, breaking the moment of silence.

Andros turned around. "What?" he asked.

"I quit." Ashley repeated.

"Quit what?" Andros asked.

"Being a ranger. I can't handle it anymore. Ever since Cassie…" she trailed off, stopped by her emotions.

"Ever since then, you've become someone else. Back at the warehouse, I felt like I didn't even know you. You killed in cold blood."

"It was necessary." Andros said coldly, without a shred of remorse. "They were the most dangerous criminals on KO-35. We couldn't accommodate prisoners." Andros said in his defense.

"When you tortured Karone, was that necessary too?" Ashley asked. "Were you so cold blooded back then as well? Would you have killed me, Carlos, T.J., and Cassie too?" Ashley yelled out. She took a moment to wipe away her tears.

"What do you want from me?!" Andros yelled.

"I want to know if you have a heart. I want to know if you have any shred of humanity left in you!" Her voice was louder, and tears were flowing down her face again..

Andros didn't answer. Ashley took off her morpher. She walked over to the console next to Andros and placed it there. She turned around and began walking towards the exit.

"Ashley…"

She stopped. Her head was lowered. "It's over." She said quietly.

She lifted her head. "We're, over." She said before walking out, leaving Andros alone, heart broken.

* * *

A/N – Poor guy. Killed his friend, then got dumped…all in one day.

If you've ever seen Battlestar Galactica, this chapter is sort of like the first season finale/season 2 premiere, where everything starts to fall apart…or maybe its like the season 4 mid season premiere where they find earth. It's kind of the everything's going to hell" chapter, where bonds are broken, people are depressed, and, there's nothing but sadness.

As for the reactions of the rangers, you've got Adam, Jason, and Ashley's reactions. You'll get some reaction out of Carlos next chapter. As for Karone and Zhane, I think Zhane's a soldier, and he understands why it was done. Don't get me wrong, he's shocked too, but he's not going to hate Andros for it. As for Karone, she was Astronema, and she's seen worse things. She's shocked, but she's not going to start hating her own brother for doing his job. Maybe she'll be upset, but not mad like Ashley. J I'll explain more next chapter. I don't want to spoil things yet

Next chapter…

* * *

"Computer, what's the estimated time until we reach the destination?" Andros asked the onboard computer.

"Three hours." Answered the computer.

Andros's mouth felt dry. He craved Terynic, the only thing that would calm down his nerves; his one relief, and his one poison.

"Switch to maximum hyperrush." Andros ordered.

* * *

hm...where's Andros going?


	43. Fallout

A/N - Wow 139 revies. Thank you guys. I was worried I wouldn't even get to 100 before Jusea started reviewing. Also, I can't believe I'm on chapter 43. Wow. I didn't think I could even go for 20 chapters. I finished 44 this morning, and it looks like i've got around 10 chapters, more or less, left before its over.

Jusea – In my fic world, Rangers on KO-35 are elite soldiers. Also, yeah, Andros has a heart, even if it seems like he doesn't. He's got feelings for Ashley, and he was also remorseful, kinda, about killing T.J.

* * *

Darkonda was angry, very angry. He was finally ready to attack Earth. He had the power to do so. With or without Kelsa's hacking abilities, Darkonda's army of Quantrons would have been enough to destroy Earth's defenses. However, at the last minute, his Quantrons stopped functioning.

Darkonda tossed the Quantrons aside, one by one.

"Contact Divatox!" Darkonda ordered. Ecliptor complied.

"What do you want, Ecliptor?" asked Divatox from the viewscreen.

"Divatox. I want you to send me all available Piranhatrons, now!" Darkonda ordered.

His anger scared Divatox. "Yes, right away." She said, nervously.

"Send out transmissions to the known worlds. We need soldiers to fight. Hire anyone willing." Darkonda ordered.

* * *

Karone sat across from Zhane in the mess hall. They held hands in silence, both separately mourning T.J. in silence.

"I hope I'm not interrupting." Said a female voice. Zhane and Karone knew it was Ashley. Their hands broke apart as they turned to face Ashley.

"No, not at all." Answered Karone.

"I'm sorry to trouble you, but I was wondering if you could take me down to Earth on the shuttle." Ashley requested. She had a sad look on her face.

"Yeah. Sure. I'll take you down." Said Karone.

* * *

It was quiet on the way down to Earth. Ashley didn't speak a word since asked Karone for a ride down to Earth. Karone turned her head every now and then and looked at Ashley. Ashley noticed, but didn't say anything.

"Ashley." Karone finally broke the ice as the shuttle entered the atmosphere.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"What happened between you and Andros?" she asked.

Ashley looked down. She noticed the necklace Andros gave her for her birthday. "We broke up." Ashley answered.

"I'm sorry." Said Karone.

The shuttle landed at Nasada.

Ashley reached behind her neck with both hands and took off her necklace. She grabbed Karone's right wrist and placed the necklace in her palm.

"Keep it. You should've had it." Said Ashley.

"But Ashley, Andros gave this to you." Said Karone.

"He didn't know you were alive when he gave it to me. Keep it." Said Ashley.

Karone knew she wouldn't win the argument, so she gave in and accepted the necklace.

"I'll just hold onto this for you." Said Karone.

* * *

Ashley was greeted by Colonel Johnson, who had come running to meet her.

"Ashley. I heard about the explosion downtown. Where's T.J.? Is he all right?" asked the colonel, worried to death.

Ashley could barely bring herself to say the words. She began to cry again.

"I'm sorry." She said as she shook her head. Colonel Johnson stood shocked for a moment.

"No. T.J." The colonel also began to cry. Ashley couldn't bear to tell him how he died, or why he died, so she left the colonel on the runway, alone, and walked away

* * *

Zhane went up to the bridge to see how Andros was doing, and also to ask about what had happened between him and Ashley. He entered the bridge, but saw that it was empty. He thought Andros would be here.

"Deca, locate Andros." Said Zhane.

"Andros is not on board the ship." Deca replied.

"What? Where'd he go?" he wondered aloud.

* * *

Andros leaned against the seat of the cockpit of a velocifighter. He had stolen it during one of the many missions he was on. He set the ship on auto pilot, and set the speed for hyperrush four. He took a deep breath, and sighed. He wanted to get away from it all; all the killing, all the deaths, all the fighting, and the heartaches. It was a miracle that Andros remained sane. No normal person could handle such emotional trauma.

"Computer, what's the estimated time until we reach the destination?" Andros asked the onboard computer.

"Three hours." Answered the computer.

Andros's mouth felt dry. He craved Terynic, the only thing that would calm down his nerves; his one relief, and his one poison.

"Switch to maximum hyperrush." Andros ordered.

"Acknowledged." Replied the computer.

* * *

Ashley had been given a ride home by one of the airmen at Nasada. When they arrived at her home, she thanked the driver and got out of the jeep. As she soon as she faced her house, she saw Carlos, sitting the on the front steps, looking at her. He got up and walked towards her. They met halfway between the fence and the steps.

"I heard what happened." Said Carlos. Tears fell from Ashley's face again. She put her arms around his neck, and buried her face in his chest. After a moment, they pulled away from each other.

"Everything's falling apart." Said Ashley.

"This isn't what we signed up for when we became rangers." Said Carlos.

"I don't know if I can ever forgive him." Said Ashley.

"You should never have to. He killed T.J. We should never forgive him. We-" His voice grew louder, but was interrupted by Ashley. She had placed her right index finger on his lip.

"I don't want to talk about it anymore Carlos. I just want to live a normal life, and not deal with anymore of this." Said Ashley.

* * *

Karone decided to return the shuttle to Nasada, since they were the real owners. Also, it was unlikely that they would ever need the shuttle, since they had their gliders. Karone returned to the megaship and saw Zhane standing at the door. She was happy to see him.

"Hi." Said Karone.

"Hey. We have a problem." Said Zhane.

"What is it?" she asked.

"It's Andros. He's gone." Said Zhane.

Karone demorphed. "Where did he go?" she asked.

"I don't know, but it must be far. Andros took one of the velocifighters." Answered Zhane.

"We have to find him." Said Karone. She began to walk towards the bridge.

"What about Earth?" asked Zhane. Karone stopped an turned around.

"We don't know if the disruptor worked or not. If it's not working, there could be an attack on anytime." Said Zhane.

"You go find out. I'll take a look at the star charts and see where Andros might have gone." Said Karone.

"All right. I'll go to Onyx and see if Andros might be there." Said Zhane as he turned around.

"Zhane." Karoned called.

He turned around. "Yeah?"

Karone walked closer to him and gave him a kiss. "Be safe. I don't want to lose you as well."

"Don't worry. We'll find him." Said Zhane.

* * *

A/N- This is the part of the fic where the characters are beginning to fall apart. This is the first step in their breaking down. Hext chapter is emotional, and dramatic? You'll see what I mean

I can't seem to find a section of the fic that really gives that cliffhanger feeling, and I don't want to spoil any of the good bits, so, I'll give you the title again

Next Chapter: Scattered


	44. Scattered

A/N – Jasonscottleefan got me thinking. Who should be the new blue Astro ranger?

JasonScottLeeFan – So you think Rocky should replace T.J. and be the new Blue Astro ranger? The rangers will fight evil, but wonder if and when they'll fight as a team again.

* * *

It was empty, dark, and cold. Space was never friendly, and it was always so quiet. Thankfully, Zhane had company during his voyage.

"I'm almost there." He said. He was speaking with Karone on the communications system.

"Good. This is the last planet in that system." Said Karone.

"Good. I'm sick of his system and its twenty-three planets. I don't know how any of those planets can sustain life." Said Zhane. He had searched fifteen of the twenty-three planets, looking for Andros. Andros had gone to Onyx, then left for another planet, in another solar system. Zhane followed the proton trail from the velocifighter Andros was in, but lost it when he arrived at Onyx.

"After this, it's the Orex system. If we can't find him there, I don't know where to look." Said Karone, with a hint of sadness in her tone at the end.

"Hey, we'll find him." Said Zhane, trying to cheer her up. He wanted to be on the ship with Karone, to hold her, to make her feel as if things were going to get better. However, things were not getting better at all. Though Darkonda never attacked, there was only one team of rangers to defend the Earth, and it was not the Astro rangers. Since the day of T.J.'s death, everything fell apart. The rangers were scattered. Karone and Zhane never heard from Carlos and Ashley, and were too busy trying to find Andros, leaving them no time to speak with their fellow Earth rangers.

"It's been a month already. I want to find him, but I'm losing hope." Said Karone.

"Don't lose hope. We still haven't looked everywhere yet, so we can still find him." Said Zhane. "I'm going to enter the atmosphere in a minute, so I'll talk to you when I'm back in orbit."

"Be safe." Said Karone.

"You too. We'll find him, I promise."

* * *

It had been a month since T.J. died. His family and friends tried to keep the funeral private, but it was hard to when he was the boyfriend of Cassie Chan, a fallen ranger. Colonel Johnson used his influence to block as much of the media as he could, but only had minor success.

Fortunately, Ashley and Carlos had not been swarmed by the paparazzi. School had started once again, and things were back to normal for the most part, whatever normal was. Ashley sat alone outside in shade, leaning against a thin tree. Her books were on her right, and her lunch sat on top, but she wasn't hungry.

"Can we talk?" asked a familiar voice from behind. Ashley turned her head and saw that it was Carlos. He sat on the other side, and didn't look at her. He merely looked around while talking to Ashley.

"I'd rather not." Said Ashley.

"It's been a month already, Ashley. You're all I have left." Said Carlos.

"You have your team." Said Ashley.

"That's my team. We play soccer together, but they're not my friends. They're not-"

"Stop. Please, stop. I know it's been a month, but every time I see or speak to you, I can't help but think of them." Said Ashley. It had taken a month, but she had finally managed to stop crying at the thought of T.J., but it still hurt to think of them. Every thought related to the Astro rangers led back to Andros. She missed him, yet she hated him. Her heart was conflicted.

"I'm sorry." Said Carlos. He understood how hard the situation was for her. She wasn't the only one who had lost a close friend that day.

"I just need a little more time, please." Said Ashley.

"Yeah, alright. I'll be here if you need me." Said Carlos as he stood up.

* * *

Andros sat at his usual stool. He sat at the end of a ten-seat bar. He had quickly become one of the regulars at the bar. It was different from the one in Onyx. This bar was on Gekrinos, a planet far away from Earth and the United Alliance of Evil. It was the perfect place for Andros. It was a place for him to get away from it all. Those were also the kind of people occupying the bar. Gekrinos was near the edge of the galaxy, away from everything else. It was like a sanctuary for some of the people there. They were there to avoid the war.

"Azel, another." Said Andros as he slid his glass towards the bar tender. The bar tender was human. She was young and beautiful, with tanned skin and long brown hair. She reminded Andros so much of Ashley.

"I'm sorry Andros, but that's your limit." Said Azel.

"Just one more." Andros pleaded.

"Andros, you've already had 3 bottles worth. I don't even know if you can stand."

Andros got off his seat and stood on his feet. He tried to maintain his balance, but knew he could barely stand. It didn't matter though. He just wanted more Terynic.

Azel noticed Andros's lack of balance and decided to cut him off for the day.

"Sorry Andros, you've had too much. She got out another cup and filled it with water "Here, have some water." Said Azel as she slid the glass towards him.

Andros drank the glass of water. He paid for his drinks and left the bar for the day. He had a hard time standing up. As he exited the bar, he tripped. When he hit the ground, he rolled in the wet dirt. He tried to get back up, but stumbled as soon as he was on his feet. He lied there, for a minute, in the middle of the empty street, taking deep breaths, while the rain hit his face, as well as the rest of his body. The burden of the war was heavy on his heart, as well as the guilt of killing T.J., and the loss of Ashley. He finally managed to stand up, and began walking towards his apartment.

The apartment was broken down, and had many floors. Andros walked up the stairs to the fourth floor, and then walked right towards his suite, five doors away. He entered his suite and locked the door behind him. Once inside, he headed for the showers, to wash away the mud on his clothes.

Once he had washed up, Andros sat down on his bed and lifted his pillow. Under it were two things; his Astro blaster, and a wordpad with a picture of him and Ashley. He grabbed the pad and set down pillow down. He lied down on the bed and stared at the picture and thought of her as he eventually fell asleep.

* * *

A/N – so, now you know where Andros is. The Ashley and Carlos scene, as well as the Andros scene, was inspired by the first episode of 24's season 2. If you've seen 24, think back on the premiere, and it'll click in your head. When I wrote the Ashley/Carlos scene, I was going to have Ashley hug Carlos at the end, but then it kind of contradicts all the dialogue, so i kept it out.

With Andros, he was dumped, not the other way around, so he's still got feelings for Ashley, and he doesn't really want to stop feeling those feelings. Take those feelings, mix it with her reaction to T.J.'s death, which was caused by Andros's actions, add 3 daily bottles of Terynic, and you've got serious depression.

It's quite obvious why I titled the chapter, "Scattered". It was intended for the previous chapter…and then I wrote this chapter. Plus, the rangers are more scattered this chapter. Last chapter, Ashley and Carlos were together, and Karone and Zhane were together. This chapter, Karone and Zhane are the only ones that are together, but they're still separated physically. That's why I saved "scattered" for this chapter.

Also, for darkness, and emo depression, etc, I wanted Ashley to be alone, and unable to talk to Carlos a lot. Don't worry though, it won't be like that forever. So, here's the preview for the next chapter.

* * *

"It was my fault T.J. died. It was my fault you were in a coma. It was my fault Zel and Ashley left." Said Andros.

* * *


	45. Blame

JSLF - Adam and Jason are guest characters. They're not going to be well developed characters. I have a blue ranger picked out already, but i just wanted to hear your opinions. It'll be quite the surprise. I take it you're still angry at Andros for what he did

* * *

Zhane was in orbit of Gekrinos. This was the last safe place to look for Andros. All the other planets were occupied by the Alliance. Zhane began to descend into the planet. As he was descending, he noticed that the only habited area was small. He estimated that the population was no more than five thousand. He landed in the shipyard, where all the other ships had landed, two miles west of the town.

Once Zhane landed, he got out of the ship he was in and made his way to the nearest bar. Not only was it the most likely place for Andros to be, it was also the best place to gather intelligence by asking the patrons of the bar. It was something that he had learned from Andros before the fall of KO-35.

Zhane entered the bar and scanned the area. It was dark, smelly, and a little run down. The bartender however, was like a bright fire in the darkness. She stood out from the rest. She was beautiful, and reminded Zhane of Ashley. The bar was half filled with aliens and one man at the end, who had a black cloak, covering his head.

Zhane walked over to the bartender.

"What'll it be?" she asked in a friendly manner. The bartender seemed out of place. She was kind, friendly, and beautiful, but she was working in a run down bar.

"Nothing. I just wanted to ask if you've seen this person." Said Zhane as he got a workpad out of his jacket and showed it to the bartender. The workpad had a picture of Andros.

"At the end, in the cloak." Said the bartender. Zhane looked at the end of the bar and saw who she was talking about.

"Thanks" said Zhane as he walked towards the man in the cloak.

As he walked, Zhane wondered what Andros would be like. He wondered if the man was even Andros at all, if the bartender had been lying. When he got to the end, he looked at the drink the man had in his hand. It was Terynic. Zhane knew it was Andros.

"Andros." Said Zhane.

The man didn't reply. Zhane grabbed the hood and pulled it back, revealing the side of Andros's face. He had grown a short beard in the month that he was gone.

Zhane wasn't too surprised. He had seen Andros in a manner similar to this; when they thought Zel had died. Zhane took a seat next to Andros.

"Karone and I have been looking for you for a over a month." Said Zhane as he looked straight ahead, and not at Andros. Again, there was no response from Andros. He just kept staring at his drink.

"The disruptor worked." Zhane reported.

Andros took a drink of Terynic. "Karone and I don't blame you for what happened. You did what you had to do." Said Zhane.

"That's what I keep trying to tell myself." Said Andros. He had finally spoken, but Zhane didn't know if it was progress or not.

Zhane lowered his head. "We need you." He said

"You'll probably get killed because of me." Said Andros.

"That's not true." Said Zhane.

"It was my fault T.J. died. It was my fault you were in a coma. It was my fault Zel and Ashley left."

"Stop feeling sorry for yourself. You have a job to do soldier! You are a ranger, an elite officer in the Karovan military!" Zhane's voice had become louder, and got the attention of everyone in the room. .

"I'm not a soldier anymore. I quit." Andros paid for his drinks and left. Today, he wasn't so drunk. He hadn't even had half a bottle of Terynic, but Zhane annoyed him out of the bar today. Zhane followed Andros as he walked towards his apartment. Andros knew he couldn't get rid of Zhane unless he killed him, so they held the door open for Zhane after he went into his suite.

"Lock the door." Said Andros. Zhane complied, then looked around the small suite. It was disorganized. Andros sat down on his bed and Zhane stood across from him.

"Do you know how hard it's been for Karone? To worry about what happened to her brother?"

"I don't care."

"That's a lie, and you know it." Said Zhane.

"I'll only cause more harm." Said Andros.

"You'll do more good than harm. You found your sister, thereby ridding the galaxy of Astronema. You helped stop every Quantron in the galaxy. You gave the galaxy a little more hope." Said Zhane.

"And I don't know I could have done what you've done." Said Zhane. "I don't know if I could have lived for two years fighting the war alone."

"You'll live without me." Said Andros in an uninterested tone.

"What about Ashley? Don't you care for her? Don't you care about what will happen to her, to Karone, to everyone when the Alliance wins the war? Do you even care about Ashley? Are you that far gone that you're incapable of love or even compassion?"

"Zhane, I-" A rumble and the sound of a blast interrupted. The two friends looked outside the window towards the town and saw velocifghters flying over the city and random yellow beams falling from the sky, hitting the town.

Andros looked at Zhane. "I thought you said all the Quantrons were deactivated." He said.

"I did. Maybe the pilots aren't velocifighters." Zhane suggested. Zhane looked at Andros. "Karone wants to see you again. Are you coming or not?"

* * *

A/N – So, he's feeling bad about killing T.J. And feeling bad is a very light way of putting it.

* * *

"Azel, we have to go." Said Andros.

"I have a cargo ship." Said Zhane.

"The shipyard's been destroyed." said Azel.

Say what? They're trapped on the planet?


	46. Attack

"Well? Are you coming with me? Or are you just going to sit and let the velocifighters kill you?" Zhane watched as Andros tossed his pillow aside and grab his blaster, and a workpad.

"We have to go to the bar first." Said Andros.

The two rangers made their way to the bar, while hiding in the alleys, and staying out of the main streets. Along the way they passed by dead bodies, as well as living people, running for their lives. It reminded them both of KO-35 before the war.

"Azel!" Andros called out as he came running into the bar. It was empty.

"Azel!" he called out again.

"Andros, there's no one here. We should go." Said Zhane.

The two rangers turned around. "Andros!" called out a female voice. They turned once again. It was Azel. She held a luggage bag.

"Azel, we have to go." Said Andros.

"I have a cargo ship." Said Zhane.

"The shipyard's been destroyed." said Azel.

"Are there any caves nearby?" asked Andros.

"Yes, many." Said Azel.

"Zhane, you check the shipyards. See if there's still a ship that's operational. Azel, pack as much food and water. We don't know how long we might be here." Said Andros. Andros was getting back into his position as leader. Giving orders came naturally to him.

"Got it." Said Zhane. He showed a small smile. He was glad to have Andros back to his normal self. Zhane took out a communicator and tossed it to Andros before rushing out the door, towards the shipyard while Andros and Azel prepared the supplies.

Andros kept watch, witnessing the destruction of the town as Azel packed supplies. "Is this something you're used to?" she asked.

"What?" Andros replied.

"You seem so calm. If you weren't used to it, you wouldn't be so calm." Azel elaborated.

"I-" Andros began to say before he was interrupted by Zhane.

"Andros, the cargo ship is intact. Hurry." Zhane reported.

"Come on, let's go." Said Andros.

Azel dropped all her belongings and ran out the door with Andros. They ran past the burning buildings and the random shots from velocifighters. They arrived at the shipyard and saw one cargo ship with the door opened.

They went in and found Zhane in the pilot's seat, waiting to take off. Andros took the co-pilot's chair while Azel stood and observed.

"Close the doors and bring all defensive systems online." Zhane commanded.

Andros pressed some buttons at his station. "Done." He reported.

"Hold on. This is going to be bumpy." Said Zhane as he piloted the ship. The cargo ship ascended and gained altitude rapidly. All the velocifighters on the planet changed their focus to the cargo bay.

"Every single velocifighter is on our trail." Andros reported.

"I see them. Divert all available power to shields and thrusters. Prepare to enter max. rush for Earth." Said Zhane.

"No. Set course for Onyx." Andros ordered.

The ship continued to ascend into the atmosphere as it zig-zagged to avoid fire from the velocifighters behind them. Once they reached orbit they entered hyperrush. They didn't even take the time to see which ship was in orbit, attacking the planet.

Zhane and Andros breathed a sigh of relief. "That was easy." Said Zhane.

"So what are we going to do on Onyx?" asked Azel.

"We're going to drop you off there, unless you have another planet you would like to go to." Said Andros.

"Gekrinos was my home. I have no where else to go." Said Azel in a sad tone.

"I'll help you find a new home." Said Andros.

* * *

Andros sat in the cargo hold of the ship, looking at a picture of Ashley on his workpad. The door opened and Azel entered. "Hi." She said.

"Hi." Said Andros.

"What's that?" she asked, referring to the workpad he had in his hands, which displayed a picture of Ashley.

"Nothing." Said Andros as he stood up, with the workpad still in his hands.

Azel walked closer to him and snatched the workpad from him.

"Give that back." Andros said with an annoyed look on his face.

Azel ignored him and looked at the picture of Ashley in the workpad. "She's beautiful." She said. "Who is she?"

"Someone I care about." Andros answered as he took back the workpad and put it away into his clothes.

"Is she the reason you were in my bar everyday?" asked Azel.

Andros sat back down and sighed. "Partly." He answered.

"What happened?" she asked.

"It's a long story."

Azel sat down next to Andros. Andros instantly thought of the time Ashley comforted him when he realized he had tortured Karone.

"We've got plenty of time before we arrive at Onyx." Said Azel.

* * *

Zhane remained in his seat as he monitored the systems of the cargo ship. He opened a communications link with Karone on the Megaship.

"This is Zhane. Karone, can you hear me?" said Zhane over the communications link.

There was no response. He tried again.

"This is Karone. It's good to hear your voice, Zhane." Said Karone. Hyperrush slightly interfered with the transmission, but Karone could still be heard quite clearly.

"I found him." Zhane said bluntly.

"What?"

"I found Andros." Zhane repeated.

There was no reply.

"Karone?"

"Yeah, I'm here. I'm glad you found him. When will you two be back?" asked Karone.

"We're just dropping off a friend on Onyx, so, I would say eight hours. This cargo ship is pretty slow." Said Zhane.

"I'll keep the hangar bay open then." Said Karone.

"I'll see you later." Said Zhane.

* * *

"Have you tried apologizing yet?" Azel asked. Andros had explained the reason why he was such a mess. He told her about the psycho rangers, Cassie, and T.J.

"No. I never got a chance." Answered Andros.

"Try it. It's been over a month, so try. Maybe you two can get back together." Azel suggested.

Andros stared at the floor and didn't respond. He wanted to be with Ashley again, but he was still afraid to face her. He could face the worst beings in the galaxy, but he couldn't face a seventeen year old girl.

Zhane came into the cargo hold. "We'll be at Onyx in a minute." Zhane reported before leaving.

Andros got up to leave. "Will I see you again?" Azel asked.

Andros turned and looked down at Azel. "Maybe." he answered.

* * *

Ashley was in a good mood. She felt as if her depression had gone away. Things were going well for her. She had also started talking to Carlos again recently. The two had become even closer as friends.

"So, I talked to Adam, and he said Tommy's finally at a hundred percent." Said Carlos. The two friends were eating outside in a public area. They sat at a bench with various boxes of Chinese food.

"Oh really? That's good." Ashley said cheerfully.

"He'll be back to being a dino-nerd in no time." Carlos joked.

Ashley laughed.

"Maybe he'll be a dino-power ranger one day." Ashley joked.

It had been a while since she had laughed, or joked. There was on reason to laugh at the time, and her reasons for being sad were greater than her reasons to laugh.

"I haven't heard you laugh in a while. It's good to know you still know how to." Said Carlos.

The two became more serious. "I haven't had a reason to laugh for a while now." Ashley said in a slightly sad tone.

"Are you doing alright?" asked Carlos.

"Yeah. No more nightmares, I can finally eat normally again, and I don't suddenly breakdown crying anymore." Ashley answered. She noticed the morpher on Carlos's wrist and thought of the other rangers.

"Have you talked to Karone since…?" Ashley asked.

"No. I haven't been contacted once. I was afraid Andros would answer if I tried contacting the ship, so I haven't tried to make contact." Carlos explained. He realized he had accidentally mentioned Andros's name. He wasn't sure if Ashley was ready to hear his name, despite her recovery.

"Sorry." Carlos apologized.

"For what? I don't mind hearing his name. I can handle it. I don't know if I can handle seeing him again, but I don't mind hearing his name." Ashley said calmly.

"Hopefully we'll never have to see him again." Carlos mumbled under his breath.

* * *

A/N – So, Andros decided to leave the planet with Zhane, but technically, he hasn't decided to rejoin the rangers. So, what will his decision be? Hm..i wonder if Andros is becoming attracted to Azel. After all, she looks like Ashley. I had the attack on Gekrinos happen so I could get Andros off that rock. I've got some big plans for him. Well, maybe not big, per se, but I've got plans for characters.

I decided to cheer Ashley up a bit. I don't know if I should break her down or not next time she sees Andros. What do you guys think?

I added the reference to Tommy's future ranger gig when I was reading through.

Guys, I'm going to be quite busy from now on I think, so, chapters will be coming out much later. Sorry. The story is nearing its end, so if you have any requests, like the return of Rocky, or Zel, or others, let me know.

Here's the preview for the next chapter.

* * *

"Don't look back! Just keep running!" Andros told Azel. She complied. Andros followed her. He took out the communicator and called Zhane.

"Zhane, I've got countless hostiles at my position. Azel is headed towards you! Take care of her!" Andros ordered.

"Andr-"

* * *

Woah, action next chapter.


	47. Bounty

A/N - I've been coming home at 12 am ish since Sunday _ So yeah, not much time. Surprisingly, i got far with the next ch. busy week

JasonScottLeeFan – Story's done in like 10 chapters or less. I'll see if I can stretch it out to 60. Of course I'm bringing back the Zeo rangers. I don't see why Andros and Ashley shouldn't be together…and neither of them are going to die…I promised that already.

* * *

The ship began its descent into the atmosphere. Azel was a little nervous. She had never been to another planet before. The ship rattled a little, giving her a bit of a fright, but Andros held her hand to put her at ease. Once the ship landed at the shipyard, Andros and Azel walked to the exit. Andros took a step into the sandy ground. He helped Azel out of the ship. Zhane stayed behind while Andros and Azel walked to town. The town was almost dead. The last time Andros was here, there were many more people in the streets. However, now, there were less than ten. The two made their way into the Salon.

The Salon was just like the streets. There were hardly any people inside. Andros saw Gowon and walked over to him with Azel.

Andros sat at his usual spot, left of Gowon, while Azel sat left of Andros. Gowon turned to see who it was and saw that it was Andros.

"You shouldn't have come here." Gowon said calmly and quietly.

"What do you mean?" Andros asked, also in a calm and quiet tone.

"You're a bounty. Dead, but preferably alive. Two million Zanabatars. Seven if you're captured alive." Gowon informed them.

"Can you do me favour?" Andros asked.

"What?"

"This is Azel. She's a bartender. Can you try to get her a good, safe job?"

"Can't. I'm already risking myself for talking to you. She's someone you know, which makes her a potential target or bait to capture you. I can't guarantee her safety." Gowon answered.

Azel began to worry. "Let's go." Said Andros as he got up. He gave a nod of goodbye to Gowon, grabbed Azel's right hand with his left hand, and headed for the exit.

They left the Salon and began to walk out of town. As they walked, people started to come out of hiding. Andros picked up his pace. Azel looked at Andros. She knew something was wrong. Andros could tell she was scared. She had tightened her grip on his hand.

They walked and walked until finally, they were out of town. Now, there was no hiding. There were no buildings to hide their stalkers. A group of seven, heavily armed people, some human, some alien, came out of hiding, as well as tens of Piranhatrons. He knew there was no escape, but he was hoping he could at least save Azel.

"Run." Andros whispered to Azel. She complied. Andros drew his blaster, turned around, and began firing as he ran.

There was a long empty space between Andros and Azel and the ship. The cargo ship was five miles away. Azel was ahead of Andros. Andros was providing cover fire, allowing her to escape. Azel looked back.

"Don't look back! Just keep running!" Andros told Azel. She complied. Andros followed her. He took out the communicator and called Zhane.

"Zhane, I've got countless hostiles at my position. Azel is headed towards you! Take care of her!" Andros ordered.

"Andr-" Zhane was cut off by Andros who had put the communicator back in his pocket.

Shots whizzed past Andros and Azel. He returned fire, and managed to hit one of the bounty hunters, but there were still the Piranhatrons to worry about. They were rushing towards Andros. Andros tried to shoot them down as he ran, but eventually they caught up. He was in trouble. There were about forty Piranhatrons that surrounded him. He fired shots as they Piranhatrons got closer to him. Once they were within arms reach, Andros began to punch and kick. However, even that wasn't enough. The Piranhatrons managed to get a hold of his arms and legs. He resisted constantly, trying to break free, but failed.

Azel looked back, even though Andros told her not to earlier. She saw Andros being taken away by the Piranhatrons, but knew there was nothing she could do to help. So she continued running, as he had told her to do.

One of the human bounty hunters saw Azel trying to flee. He looked at Andros with a sadistic smile. Andros knew what that smile meant.

"No! Don't! You have me!" he yelled out.

The bounty hunter raised his plasma rifle, which was one and a half arm's length. He looked into the scope, and pulled the trigger.

The loud sound of the shot sent a shiver of discomfort and fear down Andros's spine. He turned his head as much as he could to try to get a glimpse of Azel. He saw her in the dessert, lying on her stomach.

"No!!!" he screamed. He felt as if he had failed again. He failed to protect another person. He had caused the death of another.

* * *

Zhane was in the cargo ship, waiting for Andros and Azel to come back.

"Zhane, I've got countless hostiles at my position. Azel is headed towards you! Take care of her!" Andros ordered suddenly over the communications system.

"Andros!" Zhane called out. There was no reply.

"Andros!" Zhane called out again. Zhane rushed to the exit, morphed into his ranger suit, and ran towards Andros's position.

Zhane ran towards the town. When he was near the edge of town, he saw a body in the open dessert. He ran to see who it was. He turned the body over. It was Azel. She was shot in right side of her chest, bleeding, and barely breathing. Zhane held her head and upper body in his arms.

"Azel!"

"Andr…"

"Azel, where's Andros?" Zhane asked.

"Taken…" she barely managed to say.

* * *

A/N – What's going to happen to Azel? Is she going to live? Will she die? And who took Andros? And where are they taking him? How are they going to rescue him?!

I'm almost done chapter 48. I just need to finish a section and I'm done. I think originally, I was going to have Andros go with Zhane to the Megaship after dropping off Azel, but it occured to me that Andros never had a reason to quit drinking and go back to saving the galaxy. This is gonna be the start to his recovery

here's the preview

* * *

Zhane grabbed Gowon by the collar and tossed him against the wall. "Where did they take him?!" Zhane demanded.

"I don't know." Gowon answered. He was afraid of what Zhane would do to him. "But I know who put the bounty up."

Zhane released Gowon. "Who was it?"

* * *


	48. Plea

JSLF – It's gonna be a while before the blue ranger is revealed. It'll be a familiar character.

* * *

"Azel!" Zhane cried out.

Her eyes were closed, and her pulse was faint. Zhane picked her up and headed towards the town. He rushed into the salon and came in screaming for help. Immediately, Gowon recognized Azel and signaled for a medic and instructed Zhane to take Azel to the back.

Once in the back, Zhane laid Azel on a table, on her stomach. The medic ripped open her top garment. He took out a scanner and scanned the wound. He then reached for a tool, which looked like a metallic, thick chalk, and turned it on, which began to emit a blue light. He placed it an inch over Azel's wound. After less than a minute, the bullet came out and attached itself to the tool. He put away the magnetic tool and pulled out another tool, this time, rectangular, thin, and the size of a person's hand. The medic placed it over the wound. The bleeding began to stop. Once the bleeding at stopped, the medic closed the wound and put her to sleep, to rest.

"That was close." Said Gowon.

Zhane grabbed Gowon by the collar and tossed him against the wall.

"Where did they take him?!" Zhane demanded.

"Is this how you show gratitude?" said Gowon.

"Andros is gone. Azel said he was taken. Where was he taken?"

"Renosar. It's a planet far away. Deep within the Serylic cluster." Gowon answered.

"Who took him?" asked Zhane.

"I don't know. But it was Darkonda who put up the bounty." Said Gowon.

Zhane released Gowon. "I need you to watch over Azel, please." He requested.

"I will." Said Gowon.

Zhane rushed back to the cargo ship and left the planet. He set a hyperrush course for Earth, and then opened a com channel with the Megaship to explain the situation to Karone.

* * *

Karone was devastated. Her brother, who she had not seen in over a month, had been captured. She was so excited to see him again, after what seemed like so long, but he was taken from her, just as she was taken from him when they were young.

"I'll be there in three hours." Said Zhane over the com.

* * *

Three hours had passed. The cargo ship dropped out of hyperrush and entered the Megaship. Karone waited at the door for Zhane. As soon as Zhane left the bay and entered the corridor, she hugged him tightly. She was in tears. Zhane held her in his arms, to comfort her until they finally separated.

"We'll get him back." Zhane said, trying to comfort her.

"How?" she asked.

"Gowon told me." Said Zhane. "He's being held on Renosar."

"We're going to need some help." Said Karone.

"I'll talk to Ashley and Carlos." Said Zhane.

Karone looked away, with a slight look of pessimism on her face. "I don't think they'll help." Said Karone.

"We have to try talking to them. I'll go talk to them." Said Zhane.

"All right. I'll make the necessary preparations for the operation." Said Karone.

* * *

The last bell rang. School was over for the week. Ashley was looking forward to going shopping with her friends. She went to her locker, put in the books she didn't need, took out the books she did need, and began walking towards the exit, to freedom.

Once she was outside, she closed her eyes and took a moment to breathe in the fresh air. She opened her eyes again, but did not see what she wanted to see. She saw Zhane, across the street, near a tree. She wanted to ignore him, but began to have a bad feeling. She began to walk away, knowing Zhane would follow her. She didn't want to talk to Zhane so close to the school, near all her classmates. She crossed another side of the street and walked over to the public library. Once across the street, Ashley went to the trees to avoid being seen. She turned around and waited for Zhane to catch up.

"What is it?" she asked.

"We need your help." Said Zhane.

"I'm not a ranger anymore." Said Ashley.

"I know, but we don't have the man power for this operation. Karone and I can't do this alone." Said Zhane.

"What are you talking about? What about Andros?"

"That's the mission. Andros was captured by bounty hunters, and we need to rescue him. We can't do this without you and Carlos." Said Zhane.

Ashley didn't know how to respond. Ashley wanted to hate him. She didn't want to forgive him. But deep down, she still cared about Andros. She didn't know what to do. She wanted to leave him to suffer, but she also didn't want him to suffer. She took some time to think before making her decision. "Fine." She said.

Zhane took out the yellow Astro morpher and handed it to her. "You're going to need this."

Ashley slowly reached over and grabbed it from Zhane. She felt as if she was getting a part of herself back. It was a feeling which Ashley didn't like, since she had wanted to separate herself from the life of a ranger.

"Okay. Now we need to convince Carlos." Said Zhane.

* * *

"No way!" said Carlos. "You want me to risk my life for the guy who killed my best friend?! Ashley, how could you even agree to this?!"

"I'm doing this for Earth. If we save Andros, it'll really help with the war effort. As much as I hate to admit, we need him, or else we might lose this war." Said Ashley, trying to change Carlos's mind.

"After this, we won't ask for your help, I promise." Said Zhane.

Carlos looked at Ashley, and then sighed. "I can't let you do this alone. I'm all you've got, after all."

* * *

A/N – What's going to happen to Andros? Will he be fine? Not so fine? Will the rangers save him before its too late?

I needed a reason to bring the rangers together again…well, together is being used loosely. I also wanted to twist the story to fit into a plot I have coming up.

I know you guys want Ashley and Andros together again, and I kinda want that too. However, for the story's sake, I can't let that happen so soon. But I promise. Before the end of the fic, they'll be together again. This is a promise I can make and keep.

As for Azel, I didn't need her around anymore, so I wrote her off, but I thought, I'll let the readers decide. But in the end, I decided to keep her around for insignificant reasons.

As for the plea for help, I was thinking of having Ashley and Zhane argue, and then have Zhane yell at Ashley and tell her all about how miserable Andros was, but, I chose not to.

Also, don't forget, you can always request things to be added for the fic. Like Carlos getting a girlfriend, or the appearance of Ecliptor. Or even a conversation between Karone and Ecliptor. Just let me know what you want, and depending on what it is, I'll probably deliver...unless you request slash...go to JasonScottLeeFan for that

Here's the preview for the next chapter.

* * *

"I'm going to kill you when I get out of these restraints." Andros threatened.

Darkonda pressed the button once again. Andros, like the last two times, screamed in pain. Darkonda pushed the button again, stopping the torture process.

"That's assuming you don't lose your mind first." Said Darkonda.

* * *


	49. Torture

* * *

The room was cold, as were the restraints that suspended Andros's wrists in the air, high enough to prevent his feet from touching the floor. His shirt was gone, and he was just left with his pants, exposing his scars and burn marks. His upper body was also exposed to the coldness of the room.

Andros slowly opened his eyes. He couldn't see. It was pitch black. He could however, feel the pain in his arms from hanging above the ground. He tried to move his arms and legs, but couldn't because of the restraints.

Suddenly, Andros was hit with a sudden flash of light as the lights turned on and the door in front of him opened. Andros saw a familiar face come in through the door – Darkonda.

"Welcome, Andros, to Renosar." Said Darkonda. He was accompanied by one of the seven bounty hunters that captured Andros.

"Alive and well, just as you requested." Said the hunter.

"Good. Your pay is waiting for you outside." Said Darkonda, with his eyes still focused on Andros.

"Pleasure doing business with you." Said the bounty hunter before he left, leaving Andros alone with Darkonda.

"It's been too long, hasn't it? It must have been about three years since Yefax Prime." Said Darkonda.

"How do you…"

"I'm the one who gave you those." Said Darkonda as he pointed to Andros's scars.

"You…" Andros tried to move again, but he couldn't.

"Magnetic, anti-gravity restraints. I can pull apart your limbs with those if I wanted to. Although, it wouldn't be much fun."

Darkonda raised his left fist, and opened it, revealing a small workpad, as well as a small metallic device, which looked like a thick quarter. He placed it on Andros's right temple. He then pushed the button on the workpad.

Instantly, Andros felt immense pain throughout his body. He screamed out loud. Darkonda pushed the button again, and the pain was gone. Andros breathed heavily.

"I haven't heard that sound in a long time." Said Darkonda. He put his finger on the pad, and then moved it up a bit before pushing the button again.

Andros screamed again. Darkonda had his eyes closed, and a smile on his face, as if he was enjoying some soothing music. He pushed the button again.

"This device allows the user to torture a person without physically hurting them by sending false impulses to the brain." Darkonda explained.

"What do you want?" asked Andros.

Darkonda walked closer to Andros, until his face just less than a foot away from Andros's face. "I want you to suffer, and then die." He said.

"What did I ever do to you?" asked Andros.

"Nothing. In fact, you've helped me. You got Astronema out of the way, allowing me to take the Dark Fortress. I suppose I should thank you. You see, I want what Dark Specter wanted. I want to rule the galaxy. You're just in my way. I've read your history, and I know all of your accomplishments. You've done quite a lot to put a dent in Dark Specter's plans. I simply want you out of my way. But, it would be such a waste to kill you, when I could have some fun." Darkonda explained.

Andros kept quiet. "Since you're here, I might as well tell you some secrets." Said Darkonda.

"What are you talking about?" asked Andros.

"I was the one who kidnapped your sister years ago." Darkonda confessed.

Andros tried to hit Darkonda with his arms, but he still couldn't move them.

Darkonda smirked. "I also know who gave us all your military codes, your tactical data. It was the same person that allowed your father to be captured, but your own sister-"

"I'm going to kill you when I get out of these restraints." Andros threatened.

Darkonda pressed the button once again. Andros, like the last two times, screamed in pain. Darkonda pushed the button again, stopping the torture process.

"That's assuming you don't lose your mind first." Said Darkonda.

Dakonda pushed the button and walked towards the door while listening to Andros scream. Once he was at the door, he deactivated the device.

"I'll share some more secrets next time." Said Darkonda before he left, leaving Andros alone in the dark, breathing heavily.

* * *

"Sensors."

"Online." Ashley reported. She was at her old station. The team was ready to leave. They were informed of the mission plan, and had made all the necessary preparations.

"Ship's systems." Asked Zhane. He was leading the mission. Andros's absence left Zhane in command of the team.

"Fully operational." Karone reported. She had provided the team with details of the holding facility where Andros was being held captive. During her days as Astronema, she had been there plenty of times.

"Helm."

"Coordinates locked in. All systems go. Ready for hyperrush." Carlos reported.

"Deca, status on weapons." Zhane inquired.

"All launch tubes are loaded. Railguns and energy weapons online." Deca reported.

"Let's do this. Carlos, hyperrush nine" ordered Zhane.

Carlos had his hand over the hyperrush control. "Hyperrush in three, two, one."

* * *

A/N – Rangers to the rescue. I think I was inspired by the episode "Denna" in Legend of the Seeker. When I think of this chapter, I just think of that episode, so, maybe that's where I got the idea. I also wanted to have Darkonda meet Andros again to tell him that he was the one who tortured him. I also chose not to physically harm Andros, because I need him in a not-stuck-in-bed level of health for the coming chapters.

Next chapter is going to be the rescue, and I've got almost 2000 words so far. I tried to make it longer since it's the 50th chapter.

Here's a little preview.

* * *

"Carlos, we need you, now!" said Zhane.

All of the enemy ships began tiring at the cargo ship. Karone tried to doge them all, but a couple of them hit the ship.

"Shields are down! We've lost hyperrush." Zhane reported.


	50. Rescue

A/N – wow…50 chapters. I remember thinking I wouldn't even be able to get 20 chapters. Thank you all for your support, your reviews, especially you two, JasonScottLeeFan and JuseaPeterson. This is a long chapter, just for you guys. As always, feel free to request things (except slash).

Jusea – the traitor will be revealed in future chapters. Not in 10 chapters, but within five chapters.

Recently, I watched a clip of Farscape, and I got a little inspiration from that. I might try to apply it to the fic.

* * *

The Megaship whizzed by the stars and planets in between Earth and Renosar. The ship was out of Earth's solar system, and in another area of the galaxy, en route to Renosar.

"Carlos, what's our ETA?" asked Zhane.

"Estimated Time of Arrival is eleven hours, twenty-six minutes." Carlos reported.

"Okay. I guess now is a good to review the plan." Said Zhane.

* * *

Andros was tired. The room was dark, perfect for sleeping, but the pain in the arms from being suspended in the air would not let him rest. The lights turned on and the door opened again. It was Darkonda.

"Good morning Andros." Said Darkonda.

Andros didn't respond. He was too tired. He felt as if all the energy in his body had been drained from him.

Darkonda smirked. He enjoyed seeing Andros in his weakened state. Andros had not slept in two days, and was tortured for hours during those two days.

Andros's head on was down. He just wanted to rest. He wanted to die so that he wouldn't have to suffer so much.

"So I heard from the bounty hunters that you were with a girl when you were captured on Onyx." Said Darkonda. "Let's take a look at that."

Darkond pressed a button on the work pad, but it was not the same button he used to torture Andros with. There was a view screen left of Andros, and right of Darkonda. It began to display Andros's capture on Onyx through his perspective. Darkonda watched as Andros tried to fight off the Piranhatrons. Darkonda skipped to the scene where Andros was face to face with the hunter that shot Azel.

Andros cringed when he heard the shot again. Darkonda enjoyed Andros's suffering.

"This device also allows me to extract memories, which is why I was able to display that memory you just watched. By the looks of it, her death was your fault." Said Darkonda.

Andros didn't respond in any way. He did not speak, nor did he nod or shake his head.

"You killed her." Darkonda added, trying to anger Andros.

Again, there was no response. This upset Darkonda, so he pushed the button on the workpad, causing Andros to scream in pain.

Darkonda knew he would not get his desired response. He pressed a few buttons on the workpad, and Andros dropped onto the ground. Darkonda had deactivated the magnetic force in Andros's restraints.

"Maybe tomorrow will be more fun." Said Darkonda as he walked out of the room, leaving Andros on the cold floor to rest.

Andros curled up on his side and rested his head on the cold floor. He closed his eyes and fell asleep, hoping all this would end, whether he was rescued or killed.

* * *

Zhane was in the cargo ship in the hangar bay, doing a final systems check. "Deca, run a final diagnostic on the shields and hyperrush engines." Zhane ordered.

Within moments, the diagnostic was complete, and displayed on Zhane's workpad.

"Okay. Looks like all systems are in working order." Said Zhane.

The door opened and Ashley came in. "Hi." She said.

"Hi." Said Zhane.

Ashley slowly walked towards the pilot's console.

"What is it?" asked Zhane.

"I've just been curious about what you guys have been up to. I haven't heard from you guys for over a month."

"After you and Andros ended your relationship, Andros left. I spent all this time searching the known worlds for him. He was a complete mess when I found him. I had never seen him that way before, not even when he thought Zel died. He was drinking and miserable back then too, but, it still wasn't as bad as this time." Zhane informed her.

Ashley felt bad for Andros. She didn't know why, but she couldn't help but feel a little bad for indirectly causing this. On the other hand, she tried to tell herself that it wasn't her fault; that she was only reacting to Andros's actions.

"Ashley, why did you choose to help us out?" Zhane asked.

Ashley didn't know how to answer. She didn't even know the answer herself. "I-"

The door opened and Karone came in. "I'm sorry, was I interrupting?" she asked.

"No, not at all." Said Ashley.

Karone walked towards the pilot's console. "Everything is prepped, and we'll be out of hyerrush in five minutes." Karone reported.

Zhane hit a button on the console. "Carlos, we're in position and ready to go. How about you?" he asked over the com.

"Everything is ready to go." Carlos replied over the com.

"Good." Zhane activated the ship. "Get that deflector ready." He ordered Karone.

"Don't worry, it's ready. We'll just look like a drifting rock to them." Said Karone.

Zhane strapped himself into the pilot's chair and pressed the com again. "We're ready on this end." He said.

* * *

Carlos was alone on the bridge, in the pilot's chair. He took a deep, nervous breath, and put his hands on the controls.

"Exiting Hyperrush in ten seconds." Deca reported.

"Good luck guys." Carlos said to Zhane, Karone, and Ashley.

"Five, four, three, two, one."

The Megaship dropped out just behind the moon orbiting Renosar. The ship opened its bay doors, and Zhane piloted the cargo ship out.

"We're clear." Zhane reported.

Carlos closed the bay doors and turned the ship around. "Good luck." He said before speeding away from the area before being detected.

* * *

"Sensors." asked Zhane.

"One ship, twelve velocifighters, on the other side of the planet." Ashley reported.

"How's the deflector?" asked Zhane.

"it's working fine." Karone reported.

"Okay. I'm slowing us down to one quarter thruster power." Said Zhane.

The ship began to rumble. "We've entered the atmosphere. Touchdown in ten minutes." Said Zhane.

Karone pressed a few buttons to modify the deflector to shield the ship from the enemy's sensors.

"I've found a good landing spot. It's about a kilometer from the facility." Ashley reported.

"Karone, do you think they'll see us coming?" asked Zhane.

"It's an underground facility, so we should be fine." Karone answered.

Zhane carefully landed the ship in the area found by Ashley. All three rangers morphed before leaving the ship.

Karone had been to the facility before during her time as Astronema. She was also more familiar with the terrain than the other two, so, she led the way towards the facility.

Karone led the rangers to a secondary entrance, which was a downward shaft leading down to the underground facility. She got out a workpad and attached it to a little console on the side, as if she was attaching a memory card to a camera. She pressed a few buttons, disabling the security on the hatch, removed the workpad, then blasted the door open with her blaster and led the way down.

"This was designed as a secondary exit in case the primary entrance was unavailable." Karone explained the rangers climbed down the ladders.

They had climbed down to the eigth level. Karone opened the door and entered the corridor. Ashley and Zhane followed. They snuck around, avoiding patrols, until they managed to a terminal.

Karone accessed the terminal to find Andros's location.

"Looks like he's one level above us. Section Gamma Five." Said Karone. The rangers made their way back to the shaft and went to the seventh level.

Once in the seventh level, they made their way to section Gamma five, avoiding patrols. Once they arrived, Karone tried to hack the lock while Zhane and Ashley kept watch.

"Damnit." Karone cursed.

"What is it?" asked Zhane.

"I can't open the lock." Answered Karone.

"Can't we just shoot it open?" asked Ashley.

"That will alert the guards, and we don't know what state Andros is in." Karone explained.

Zhane took a moment to think. "Shoot it open. We'll just have to take the chance."

Karone complied. She drew her blaster and shot the lock, opening the door. The lights turned on. Karone and Zhane went in while Ashley kept watch.

Zhane and Karone saw Andros on the ground on the side, shirtless and restrained. Karone was shocked by the scars on Andros's body; it was the first time she saw them. Zhane however, had seen them once before. They also saw a metallic device on Andros's temple. They didn't know what it was, so they decided to leave it on for the time being.

"Andros." Said Zhane as he tried to wake his friend.

"Andros." Said Karone, also trying to wake him.

Andros slowly opened his eyes and slowly sat up. "Karone? Zhane?"

"Yeah. We're here to rescue you." Said Zhane.

Zhane drew his blaster and shot off the restraints on Andros's wrists and ankles. Zhane and Karone stood up and helped Andros get up. Andros took the torture device off his temple and tossed it across the room.

Ashley looked right and left for enemy patrols. Ashley was surprised that there was no alarm. She quickly glanced over to get a look at Andros. Karone was in the way, but Ashley managed to get a small view of Andros, shirtless. She also saw a beard on him. His face looked as if he was extremely tired. She tried to deny the fact that she cared about him still.

"He's severely dehydrated." Said Karone.

"Ashley, help me carry Andros. Karone, lead the way out." Zhane ordered.

Karone led the way, while occasionally checking their rear for patrols. They made their way to the main elevator and made their way to the second floor. Surprisingly, they still had not run into any patrols.

Karone turned the corner and saw Piranhatrons coming towards her. They spotted her and started firing. Karone jumped back.

"Piranhatrons. Three of them." Karone reported. She drew her blaster, and rolled back into the corner and fired at the Piranhatrons. Karone and the Piranhatrons exchanged fire until finally, she was vicvtorious.

"We're clear." Said Karone. She led the way once more back to the shaft. She opened the shaft door.

"Ashley, you go first." Said Karone.

"Okay." She replied. She entered the shaft and moved up the ladder. Zhane followed with Andros on his back. Karone closed the shaft door and followed the other rangers.

"Are you doing okay?" Karone asked Zhane.

"Yeah, I'm doing fine, but I think Andros is going to have to lose some weight after this." Said Zhane.

"I heard that." Andros barely managed to say.

The rangers managed to get out of the shaft undetected. "Something's not right. We're only run into one patrol of Piranhatrans." Said Karone in a worried tone.

"In any case, we need to get moving, now." Said Zhane. Ashley helped Zhane carry Andros.

* * *

Darkonda was back on the Dark Fortress. He wanted to let Andros rest so that he could have a full day with Andros.

"Master! We are receiving a transmission from the facility on Renosar!" Ecliptor reported.

"Put it through." Darkonda ordered.

"Sir, we've had a breach of security!" reported a grey skinned alien on the screen.

"Secure the facility! And the planet! I'll send what I can! Make sure Section Gamma Five is secure!" Darkonda ordered.

"Ecliptor! Set a course for Renosar!"

* * *

The rangers managed to make it to the cargo ship undetected. Karone took the pilot's seat and activated the ship's systems. "Carlos, this is Karone. We're ready to depart. How is everything on your end?"

"So far so good." Said Carlos. "Ready to pick you up when you're ready."

"Ok, we-" the console beeped, interrupting Karone. She took a look at the scanners.

"Oh no. We've got lots of velocifighters coming towards us. Carlos, get ready, we're going to need some cover. Hang on guys, this is going to be rough."

Ashley set Andros down in the cargo hold and stayed with him while Karone flew the ship with Zhane's assistance.

The ship took off and flew into space with two squadrons of velocifighters behind them. "Hold on." Said Karone as she maneuvered the ship to avoid fire from the velocifighers.

The ship left the planet and entered space, but they were trapped. Countless velocifighters, as well as one large ship the size of the Megaship, as well as the Dark Fortress, were waiting for the cargo ship.

"Oh no." said Karone.

"Carlos, we need you, now!" said Zhane.

All of the enemy ships began tiring at the cargo ship. Karone tried to doge them all, but a couple of them hit the ship.

"Shields are down! We've lost hyperrush." Zhane reported.

The sensor beeped. "It's Carlos!" Zhane reported.

The Megaship suddenly arrived, out of hyperrush and fired every weapon it had. Most of the velocifighters were destroyed, and the large ship sustained minimal damage.

"This is Carlos, let's hurry up and get out of here." He said over the com.

The Megaship flew in and scooped up the cargo ship. As soon as the ship was in, Zhane and Karone headed to the bridge while Ashley took Andros to the infirmary.

* * *

Karone and Zhane were on their way to the bridge.

"Guys, hyperrush is offline!" Carlos reported.

"I'll go to engineering. You go to the bridge." Said Zhane.

Karone acknowledged his order with a nod and headed towards the bridge. Zhane ran towards engineering.

Once there, he rushed towards a console to see what was wrong.

"We've lost power to the engine. I'm going to try to reroute power, but it might blow the engine after." Zhane reported.

"Do it! We're taking heavy fire." Said Carlos.

"Deca, reroute power from secondary systems to the hyperrush engine." Zhane ordered.

The hyperrush engine lit up. "Bridge, hyperrush is back online! Go! Go! Go!"

Carlos set a course for Earth at hyperrush nine and activated the engine. The Megaship was taking heavy fire from the enemy ships, and had lost power. Just as the Megaship entered hyperrush, the ship was hit by a weapon from the fortress.

"Hull breach on deck five! Sealing!" Karone reported.

The ship was in hyperrush. Carlos and Karone breathed a sigh of relief.

"We're clear." Karone reported to Zhane over the com.

* * *

Zhane took his time getting up to the bridge. He thought there would be nothing to worry about until they got back to Earth.

"What took you so long?" Karone asked Zhane.

"We're in the clear. I didn't think there was any big emergency." Said Zhane.

"I'm going to check on Ashley." Said Carlos. As he began walking towards the exit, the ship rumbled.

"Report." Ordered Zhane.

Carlos rushed back to the pilot's seat. Karone took a look at the ship's systems. "We've dropped out of hyperrush." She reported.

"What's the problem?" asked Zhane.

"I'll have to take a look at the hyperrush drive, but it looks like the drive is offline."

"I'm going to go take a look. Keep an eye on the sensors for enemy ships." Said Zhane.

* * *

Zhane rushed over to engineering and took out the hyperrysh drive from the engine panel.

"This is bad." He said as he examined the drive. .

* * *

"Did you find out what was wrong with the drive?" Karone asked as soon as Zhane arrived back on the bridge.

Zhane returned to the bridge. "Deca, where is the nearest known world?" He asked.

"Tedosum." Deca answered.

"Distance?"

Karone and Carlos remained silent to see what was going on, but they both had a feeling they knew what the situation was.

"Three lightyears." Deca answered.

Zhane lowered his head with his hands on the console to support himself, and then raised it back up again. "The hyperrush drive is damaged beyond repair, so is the one from the cargo ship. At maximum impulse speed, it will take us fifteen years just to get to Tedosum."

* * *

A/N – Stuck in space! And you thought being stuck on the highway was bad. I ended the chapter this way because it was a setup for the next event in the fic.

I think I might be able to hook Ashley and Andros up earlier, but, we'll see. I need to think on this.

For the rescue mission, I had a little bit of difficulty trying to think of a rescue plan that would allow me to rescue Andros, not have a direct confrontation with Darkonda, and have the hyperrush drive get damaged.

Now, that Ashley/Zhane scene. You wanted it, and I teased it. I wanted Ashley to be conflicted, cause then, she can hate him, and she can care for him, and it'll still kinda be in character. I want Ashley to kind of go back and forth and try to figure out how she feels. But at the same time, its tough for me, cause I want her to get back with Andros, but it can't happen unless she forgives him. I mean, can you date a person that you can't forgive? As for Carlos, he still doesn't like Andros. Not sure if that would ever change.

In the last scene, where they find out they're screwed, I think back to the season 4 finale of Stargate SG-1. I think it also gave me the inspiration for the set up. You'll see why when you read the next chapter.

How badly do you guys want to see Andros and Ashley get back together?

Preview time.

* * *

"How many ships?" Andros asked. Karone was in the pilot's chair. Andros look weapons and Zhane took sensors.

"I'm reading seven ships. One of them is a warship, with heavy armaments. They're launching fighters." Zhane reported.


	51. Stranded

:( Only one review for chapter 50...

* * *

Ashley stood next to Andros and watched over him as he rested. She had no medical training, so she decided to wait for Zhane or Karone to come treat him. She was also too distracted to treat Andros. Her emotions were self-conflicting. She thought she knew how she felt about Andros, but the more she was around him, or even thought of him, the more unsure she became of how she felt about him.

"How's he doing?" Zhane asked as he came into the room.

Ashley turned around. "He's unconscious. I was waiting for you to get here so that you can treat him. I don't have any medical training." Said Ashley.

"Azel." Andros whispered in his sleep.

Ashley turned around and looked at Andros. Zhane walked over to the other side of Andros, across Ashley. Ashley looked at Zhane. "Who's Azel?" she asked curiously.

"A bartender on Gekrinos. She looks so much like you." Zhane answered.

"How did she know Andros?"

"She served him Terinyc for the past month, everyday." Zhane answered as he tended to Andros.

"You mean Andros was drinking everyday?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

Zhane gave her a strange look. "Because of you and T.J." he answered.

"He was miserable after you left. He left while Karone was taking you down to Earth." Zhane explained.

Ashley looked away from Zhane. She was beginning to feel guilty for causing Andros to suffer so much.

"How long until we reach Earth?" Ashley asked, trying to change the subject.

"Sorry, I should have told you earlier. Our hyperrysh drive is damaged beyond repair, and the nearest planet is fifteen years away at maximum impulse." Zhane informed her.

"Fifteen years?"

She ran her fingers through her hair as she paced around. Finally, she looked back at Zhane. "Don't we have any other way of getting home? Velocifighters? Galaxy gliders?"

"No. Even if we cannibalize everything we have, we're missing a special ore we need for the drive. I'm sorry Ashley."

"I-I-I need some air." Said Ashley as she left.

Zhane couldn't blame her for her reaction. He knew it was going to be tough to be on the ship without going crazy. Zhane finished his checkup and treatment of Andros before heading back up to the bridge.

* * *

"Status report." Said Zhane as he entered the bridge. Karone was on the bridge alone.

"So far, the engines are holding, but I don't know if we have the power to keep the engines on at maximum capacity." Said Karone.

"Let's cut power to uninhabited decks. Cut power in decks fifteen through eight, except deck nine." Zhane ordered.

"It's still not going to be enough." Said Karone.

"We'll have to try to connect the cargo ship's power generator to the Megaship. It won't be much, but, it's better than nothing." Zhane began to shut down power to various decks and sections of the ship.

"Have you seen him yet?" Zhane asked.

"No, not yet." Answered Karone.

"Go. I'll take care of things here." Said Zhane.

"Okay, thanks." Said Karone as she gave Zhane a kiss and left the bridge.

* * *

Darkonda was on the bridge of the Dark Fortress, as usual. He was still angry for allowing Andros to escape.

"I want him found! Send out another bounty! Have him dead this time!" Darkonda sceamed furiously.

"Master." Said Ecliptor.

"What?"

"We have gone through the memories we collected from Andros. We have found that he was the one responsible for disabling all the Quantrons." Ecliptor reported.

"What else did you get?" asked Darkonda.

"I'm afraid we were unable to retrieve significant amounts of memories from Andros." Ecliptor replied.

"Send all available ships to Earth. I want the Megaship destroyed!" Darkonda ordered.

"Yes master."

* * *

Andros opened his eyes and slowly sat up. He looked at his surroundings to see where he was – sick bay. It had been a while since he was here. He jumped off the bed, and landed on his feet, but felt a little wobbly.

"Deca, diagnosis."

"Dehydration and physical exhaustion. Hydration and rest are highly recommended." Deca reported.

"Noted." Andros groaned. He slowly walked out of the infirmary, towards his quarters.

* * *

Ashley walked into the mess hall and saw Carlos eating a slice of pie.

"Hi." He said.

Ashley ordered a tea and joined Carlos at the table. "I take it you got the bad news." She said.

"Yeah." He replied.

"Fifteen years…our families…" Ashley took a sip of her tea.

Carlos grabbed Ashley's hand. "We'll make it through this." He said.

* * *

Karone entered the infirmary and looked around for Andros, but there was no sign of his presence.

"Deca, locate Andros." Said Karone.

"Andros is in his quarters." Deca reported.

Karone headed for his quarters.

* * *

Andros was shaving off his month long beard. He was still tired, but he couldn't sleep. He felt too guilty for letting Azel die. He was also updating his log.

"Apparently, the others rescued me from Renosar. I will begin changing security protocols immediately. Darkonda has also mentioned that someone betrayed KO-35. I don't know who it is, but knowing won't do much good since my people are probably all dead. End log."

There was a bell at Andros's door. "enter." He said.

The door slid open and Karone entered the room. Andros, who had just finished shaving, wiped his face and put away the razor. "Hi." He said.

"You should be resting." Said Karone.

"I'm fine." Andros lied. He was having a little bit of difficulty standing.

"You don't look like you're fine." Said Karone.

"I said I'm fine. Where are we?" asked Andros.

"We're in empty space. There are no stars, no planets, nothing, for at least three hundred light minutes."

"What do you mean?"

Our hyperrush engines were damanged, and we can't repair them. The nearest planet is three lightyears away. At our current rate, it will take us-" Karone reported.

The alarm rang throughout the ship. "Deca, report." Said Andros.

"Multiple ships have been detected." Andros and Karone looked at each other then rushed up to the bridge.

* * *

"Zhane!" Andros called out.

Zhane turned around and was surprised to see Andros. "Shouldn't you be resting?" he said.

"Later. How many ships?" Andros asked. Karone was in the pilot's chair. Andros look weapons and Zhane took sensors.

"I'm reading seven ships. One of them is a warship, with heavy armaments. They're launching fighters." Zhane reported.

"Arming all launch tubes, charging lasers. Distance?"

"I'm picking up a lot more ship dropping out of hyperrush. Fifty, ninety, over one hundred and fifty ships." Zhane reported.

Carlos and Ashley arrived at the bridge. "What's going on?" Carlos asked.

Both he and Ashley saw Andros on the bridge, and he looked back at them. Ashley took at seat at communications and Carlos took control of the ship's systems.

"One light second. Wait, Andros, I'm picking up Karovan signatures." Andros looked at Zhane.

"Ashley, open a link to the lead warship." Andros ordered.

"Done." Ashley replied.

"This is Specialist Andros of the Ranger Squad. Please identify yourselves." Said Andros.

The fighters stayed close to the warship. Moments later, Ashley received a transmission.

"I'm receiving a transmission. I'll put it up on screen." Said Ashley. The view screen displayed an old balding man, as well as another old man, but with short brown hair.

"Chancellor Kinwon! Admiral Geem!" said Andros.

"Andros? Is that really you?" said Kinwon.

"Exchange authentication codes." Said the admiral.

"Yes sir." Said Andros. He gave a nod to Zhane who pressed a few buttons, and then he walked over to Ashley's console.

"We're reciveing authentication codes…they match." Said Zhane as he looked at Andros.

"We'll come aboard your ship soon. We have much to discuss." Said the admiral.

"Yes sir." Said Andros. Zhane cut the transmission and smiled.

"We found them." He said.

"Yes, we did." Said Andros as he cracked a small smile.

* * *

A/N- Sweet. They found their people. Total BSG reference. But don't worry, there won't be a prisoner-kills-admiral thing happening. And no resurrection ship either.


	52. Reunited

Andros stood in front of the hangar bay alongside Zhane. "I can't believe this is really happening." Said Zhane.

"Hangar Bay has been repressurized." Deca reported.

Andros and Zhane entered the hangar bay and walked over to the transport ship that had just landed inside the Megaship.

The door opened, as Andros and Zhane saluted. As the door lowered, Andros and Zhane got a glimpse of the group of people that were inside. Chancellor Kinwon, as well as Admiral Geem was on board. They were joined by twelve officers of the military, as well as ten guards with rifle blasters.

"It's good to see you both. We were afraid we had lost you both in the war." Said Kinwon as he walked down the ramp and greeted the two rangers.

"Indeed. It's good to see you both. The fleet will have something to celebrate." Said the admiral. "How did you survive the attack?"

Andros pulled out a workpad. "It's all in my logs, sir." He said as he passed it to the admiral. The admiral accepted the pad and examined it.

"I haven't seen this technology in many years. Wasn't this ship decommissioned eighteen years ago?" asked the admiral.

"Yes, sir. I used this ship to escape KO-35." Said Andros.

* * *

"I'd like to meet the rest of your crew." Said the admiral.

Karone, Carlos, and Ashley sat around in the bridge, alone. They were waiting for the Karovans to arrive.

"I hope they can help us get back to Earth." Said Carlos.

"Yeah." Ashley replied. She looked over at Karone and saw that she had a worried look on her face.

"What's wrong, Karone?" Ashley asked.

"If they recognize me, I wonder how they would react." Said Karone. "I may be Karovan, but I was also the one who destroyed their home."

"I'm sure everything will work out." Said Ashley.

The three rangers jumped out of their seats and got into a line formation when they heard the door open. The three watched as Andros and Zhane led the guests into the bridge.

"So who are these three?" asked the admiral.

"This is Ashley, Carlos, and Karone, my sister." Andros answered.

"Sister?" Kinwon and the admiral were quite surprised.

"Yes, sir. That's also in my report." Andros replied.

"Very well. Let us all go back to the flagship. I've got some important people waiting to meet you. I brought some technicians and other officers to take over while you're gone." Said the Admiral.

* * *

The rangers had followed their guests to the hangar bay and went with them to the flagship. They felt a thud, indicating that the ship had landed.

Kinwon and the Admiral insisted that Andros and the other rangers be in front when the doors open. The door was lowered, and the rangers stepped down, followed by Kinwon, the admiral, and some guards.

They were greeted by a large crowd of military officers.

"Andros!" a female's voice called out. A woman pushed past the other officers and ran into Andros, wrapping her arms around his neck. It was Zel.

"It's good to see you again." She said as she pulled away. "Zhane!" she hugged Zhane next.

"Zel! It's good to see you again!" said Zhane.

Zel turned to Ashley and Carlos. "It's good to see you both again as well." She said. Zel looked back into the crowd and smirked.

"I have someone special here for you to meet, Andros." Said Zel. Another woman pushed past the crowd. This woman was much older, and had long blonde hair, similar to Karone's hair color.

"Mother." Said Andros. Karone opened her mouth in surprise and her eyes widened. She looked at Andros, and then looked back at her mother. She felt tears forming.

Andros walked up to his mother and hugged her. He had missed her so much. He had also thought that she was killed during the attack.

"I missed you so much." Said Andros's mother. As soon as she and Andros pulled away, Andros turned around.

"Mother, there's someone you should meet." He said. He held her hand and walked closer to the other rangers, specifically Karone.

"This is Karone. I found her, finally." Said Andros as he let go of his mother's hand.

Tears formed in her eyes. Their mother covered her mouth with her hands. She walked over to Karone with opened arms and embraced her. They stood there, mother and daughter, crying and holding each other. After so many years, they were finally reunited.

* * *

The rangers, as well as Zel, Andros and Karone's mother were being given a tour of the ship. Their tour began in the mess hall, where they met the ship's onboard computer. A beautiful brunette woman in a Karovan military uniform stood before the group.

"Hello, I am the ship's artificially intelligent computer."

"We call her Survivor." Said the tour guide.

"She's a hologram." Zel added.

"The ship was renamed "Survivor" following the end of the war, as we were the last known survivors of our civilization. The whereabouts of other Karovans who may have escaped are unknown, so as far as we know, we're the only ones left." The tour guide informed them.

"Hey, why isn't Deca a holographic projection as well?" asked Carlos.

"The megaship is thirty years old. It was decommissioned eighteen years ago. I used it to escape KO-35 after the fall." Andros explained.

The guide turned around and began walking. "This ship complements a crew of five thousand, three hundred and sixty-five, as well as three hundred and twenty-one civilians." Survivor informed them as she walked with the group.

"Some are family members, others are simply here because the other ships are overcrowded." The guide added.

"How many survivors are there?" Andros asked.

"According to the last consensus last week, the population of the fleet is one hundred and eighty-three thousand, six hudred and thirty-eight." The guide answered.

They all stopped and took a moment to absorb the unfortunate information. KO-35 had been a civilization of over one billion, and they had been reduced to three million.

Karone shed a single tear for the lives she took during the war, when she was Astronema. She quickly wiped it away so that no one would see.

"So, Zel." Ashley said to break the silence. "How did you find the fleet?"

"Well, after I left, I flew to KO-35 to see it for myself. After that, I looked around for other Karovans. One day, my ship hit an Ion storm, and my navigation and propulsion systems were damaged beyond repair. The fleet also passed through the storm and their ships were termporarily disabled. That's how they found me. Thankfully, communications wasn't down, or else I'd have been shot down. I've been here ever since." Zel explained.

"Why didn't you ever try to contact us?" asked Zhane.

"When the storm hit the ship, I lost all my data, so I lost the location of Earth." Zel explained.

The group continued their way through the ship.

* * *

Ashley and Carlos sat in the ship's mess hall. They were surrounded by Karovans who were curious about Earth. They answered question after question, and tried the food that they were offered.

"Out of my way." Said a familiar voice within the crowd. Zhane soon emerged. He had pushed his way through the crowd to get to Ashley and Carlos.

"Good news. The technicians were able to repair the hyperrush drive. We can get back to Earth." Zhane informed them. Ashley and Carlos smiled. They felt like aliens on board the ship, and they already missed their own planet.

"When do we leave?" asked Carlos.

"Tomorrow morning. So go get some rest." Said Zhane.

* * *

Andros hadn't felt so good in so long. He was so happy. He was reunited with his people, but most importantly, his mother. It was a great day for Karone as well. She was finally reunited with her mother.

They had a private dinner in their mother's quarters. It was small, but the three were still quite comfortable.

Suddenly, the door opened, and 2 guards came in, as well as an officer.

"You, Astronema, are to come with us. We will also require you to surrender your morpher." Said the man in the front.

Andros stood up. "What are you talking about? Where are you taking her?"

"To the brig. Orders from the colonel." Said the man as he handed Andros a workpad. Andros accept the workpad and looked over the order.

Karone stood up. "This is insane. She's not Astronema!" said Andros.

"It doesn't matter, sir. Orders are orders. Please, comply." Said the man.

Karone hugged her mother and followed the man out. The door closed behind them.

"What's going on Andros?" his mother asked.

"She's being taken to the brig. They might interrogate her, or worse, they might even judge her." Andros informed her.

Andros tried to think of a plan. "Mother, I need you go find Zhane. I need you to inform him of the situation. I'm going to go speak to Admiral Geem." Andros requested before rushing out of his mother's quarters.

* * *

A/N – They found their mommy!! I wanted Karone to finally be reunited with her mom. Originally, long ago, when I had planned the introduction of their mom, Andros and Ashley were still together, and they were going to have a conversation together as well. Right now, I can't really think of how the two would interact.

Now they can get back to Earth! I had to. If they didn't, and Darkonda showed up, the Megaship would be a goner.

* * *

"Are you alright?" he asked Karone as he demorphed.

"Yeah." Said Karone, with her eyes on the guards.

"Traitor." Said one of the gaurds.

"What did you say?" asked Zhane.

"Traitor. You are a traitor.

"Are you alright?" he asked Karone as he demorphed.\

"Yeah." Said Karone, with her eyes on the guards.

"Traitor." Said one of the gaurds.

"What did you say?" asked Zhane.

"Traitor. You are a traitor.

* * *


	53. Prisoner

Ashley needed a place to sleep. Fortunately, Zel's bunkmate was in the infirmary for the week due to an injury, so Zel had offered the bunk for the night, which Ashley accepted. She felt comfortable with Zel since she knew her.

"Are Cassie and T.J. on the Megaship?" asked Zel.

Ashley felt as if all the air in her lungs had suddenly disappeared. It was the first time someone had asked about her dead friends.

"They died, a little over a month ago."

"I'm sorry. How did they…"

"I'd rather not talk about it." Said Ashley. It still hurt to speak about their deaths.

"I'm sorry."

"The bed is all set up, so, good night." Said Zel.

"Good-" Ashley was interrupted by a knock on the door.

Zel walked over and opened the door. It was Andros's mother and Carlos.

"We have a problem." Said Carlos.

"What is it?" asked Ashley.

"The guards captured Karone." Answered Andros's mother.

"Why?" asked Zel.

"Andros went to find out." Said Carlos.

* * *

Andros knocked on the Admiral's door.

"Come in." he said.

Andros opened the door and entered the Admiral's quarters. The admiral was with Kinwon and another man. The admiral sat down on a couch. Kinwon sat on a chair left of the admiral, and the colonel sat across from the admiral.

"Andros. I was expecting you. This is my second in command and Executive Officer, colonel Tyza." Said the colonel.

Colonel Tyza was very similar in height and build. He had short dark brown hair, and hazel eyes. He was around the same age as Andros's mother.

"That will be all colonel." Said the Admiral. The colonel picked up a workpad from the coffee table that was in between the three Karovans and left, closing the door on his way out.

Andros sat down on the couch where the colonel was sitting. "Sir, the guards arrested my sister." Andros informed them.

"I'm well aware of that. I was the one who gave the order." Said the admiral.

"But sir, she's no danger to the fleet." Said Andros.

"Still, your sister is or was the one who destroyed our home world." Said Kinwon.

"So this is just revenge then?" asked Andros.

"No. We simply don't trust that she's good. She may have convinced you and your friends, but we're not convinced yet." Said the admiral.

"So what's going to happen then?" asked Andros.

"We'll interrogate her, examine her, and determine whether she's a threat or not." Said Kinwon.

"You have my word that she will not be harmed." Said the admiral.

"And her identity will not be revealed to the fleet, or even the general population of this ship." Said Kinwon.

Andros didn't know what to do. There was really nothing he could do, except trust Kinwon and the admiral.

"There's something else, Andros." Said the admiral.

"What is it, sir?"

"I've been reviewing your logs, and some of your actions have been…unethical." Said the admiral.

"We are not as uncivilized as we were generations ago. We are not living in the time of the great war." Said Kinwon.

"During my time alone, I felt desperate, as if I was hanging on by a thread. I don't regret doing what I did. If you want to remove me from my position, or imprison me, then go ahead. I know I did what I had to do." Said Andros.

Andros stood up. "Is that all, sir?" he asked.

"Dismissed." Said the admiral, giving Andros permission to leave.

* * *

Karone sat on the floor against the corner, wondering when she would get to see her friends and family. The ship's brig was much bigger than the Megaship's brig. Like the brig on the Megaship, the current brig had a force field that kept Karone inside her cell. She watched as two guards came into the room and relieved the other two guards. The new guards looked at Karone.

"Kind of looks like her." The guard on the right said to the guard on the left. They were both tall and were well toned, as well as well armed. Karone began to feel uneasy. She stood up.

The guard on the left lowered the force field, and both guards entered Karone's cell.

"Tekum city. My wife was in Tekum city the day you leveled it to the ground." Said the guard the on the right.

"My parents were at Neboa station when it was destroyed." Said the other guard.

"I'm sorry. Really, I am. If I could give up my life to bring them back, I would in an instant." Said Karone, trying to stop the guards from doing something violent.

"You'll be giving up your life alright." Said the guard on the right.

"I only wish you could pay slowly." Said the other guard.

Suddenly, the door slid open and Zhane entered. As soon as he entered the brig, he saw the guards in Karone's cell and assumed the most obvious conclusion – they wanted to hurt her.

Zhane morphed and charged the guards. The guards turned around and pointed their weapons at Zhane, but it was too late. They were knocked down by Zhane. Karone quickly grabbed one of the guards's weapons and pointed it at the guards. Zhane grabbed the other weapon and did the same.

"Are you alright?" he asked Karone as he demorphed.

"Yeah." Said Karone, with her eyes on the guards.

"Traitor." Said one of the gaurds.

"What did you say?" asked Zhane.

"Traitor. You are a traitor. Don't you know who she is?" the guard asked.

The door opened. Two more guards came in, as well as the officer who took Karone into custody earlier.

"What's going on here?" the officer demanded.

"Your two guards here just tried to attack Karone." Zhane informed them.

"Put down your weapons." Said the officer. The other two guards who just came in pointed their weapons at Zhane and Karone.

Zhane and Karone looked at each other and then lowered their weapons.

"You two, get up and get out." Said the officer.

"We'll get you for this." Said one of the guards as he got up and left.

"Zhane, please leave the cell. You can stay with her as long as you want, but, I'm going to need you to leave her cell." Said the officer.

Zhane took the weapon from Karone and left the cell. He gave the weapons two the guards and stood in front of Karone's cell.

"I'll be right here." He said.

* * *

The night passed. Zel, Ashely, Carlos, and Andros's mother were updated on the situation. They decided to visit Karone in the morning, since it was so late.

Andros awoke to the sound of the door bell. He looked around and saw his mother on the bed, still sleeping. Andros had slept on the couch. He walked over and opened the door. It was Zel. However, she was not alone. Suddenly, behind Zel, noise erupted. Andros looked over to see what the source of the noise was. It was the media. As many twenty people gathered outside Andros's mother's dorm.

Zel entered the room and Andros locked the door behind her. "Why are there reporters outside my mother's quarters?"

"It's Karone. They found out about her. The news exploded overnight." Zel explained.

"Oh no." said Andros.

"That's not the worst part." Said Zel. "People are demanded a judgment. There area already protests and riots on other ships."

"Damnit. I'm going to go talk to the Admiral." Said Andros.

"I'll check up on Zhane."

* * *

Chancellor Kinwon stood before the reporters in the press room, which was also a briefing room for the pilots of the ship. The room was well lit, and looked like a very small theater room.

"Early this morning, it was revealed that Karone, the daughter of former Chancellor Terom, and sister of the Red Ranger, Specialist Andros, is in fact Princess Astronema. As a result, there are been riots and protests. The government of KO-35 has decided to listen to the people of the fleet. A judgment has been scheduled for tomorrow morning. This judgement will be have a full panel of arbiters, and will also be open to the public. It was also be broadcasted throughout the fleet. There will be no questions."

* * *

A/N – Oh snap. I totally wanted this for Karone. The ghosts of her past are coming back to haunt her. I was thinking so much of Battlestar Galactica during this chapter. The cell scene with Karone and the guards reminded me of a scene from an ep of BSG. I'm not saying I ripped it off, but it just reminded me of that scene. That scene was actually a necessary scene. It was the setup for the judgment, which is, a trial, but being alien and all, I thought I'd try changing words a bit. We explored Karone's guilt for her crimes way back when she first turned good. But the next chapter will allow for more past dwelling, as well as interaction with her victims.

* * *

Preview

* * *

I'm so sorry for the pain and suffering I have caused. If I could give my life to undo the damage, I would give my life gladly. In the end, if you choose to punish me, then I accept your punishment."

"Advocate, proceed." Said a female arbiter, who looked a few years older than Andros's mother.

The battle for Karone's freedom was now beginning.


	54. Judgement

JasonScottLeeFan - I can see how you think I'm getting off the track of the story, but, this subplot is for Karone's character, as well as another thing that I won't mention yet, for spoiler's sake.

* * *

Karone stood front of Zhane. A force field was all that stood between them.

"We can escape. We can run. You don't have to do this." Said Zhane. He was worried about Karone. He didn't want her to be judged.

"I have to do this." Said Karone. "If I can give up my life to ease the suffering of those I've hurt, then I'll give it."

"You didn't cause harm to anyone. You are not Astronema." Said Zhane.

"Yes, I am. I remember killing people. I remember enjoying it." Said Karone. Tears began to fall down her face. "I have to do this. Even if it kills me."

* * *

It was night. Andros spent all day in his guest quarters. He was acting as Karone's counselor. Most of the best lawyers were either dead, or unwilling to serve as Karone's counselor.

Andros put down the workpad he was reading and ran his fingers through his fingers. He isolated himself in a guest quarter so that he could concentrate on his work. He heard someone ring the bell outside his quarters.

"Enter." He said.

The door slid open and Zel came in with a tray of food. Zel set the tray of food down in front of him.

"You should eat. You've been in here all day." Said Zel. She grabbed a chair and sat across from Andros.

"I'm busy. I still have work to do." Said Andros.

"Andros, you'll work better on a full stomach." Said Zel.

"I'm not hungry."

"Just eat." Zel insisted.

Andros knew she would keep trying to get him to eat until he finally gave in, and he didn't have time to fight her, so he gave in. He grabbed the plate of food in front of him and began to eat for the first time that day.

"Can I help you with anything? I don't want to see Karone lose." Said Zel

"No. It's fine. I can't seem to find anything useful in these documents anyways." Said Andros as he tossed the workpad in his hand onto the table and leaned back against the chair. He sighed.

"Carlos and Ashley decided to stay here longer. They want to support Karone." Said Zel.

"I'm sure she appreciates their support." Said Andros.

"What happened to you and Ashley? You guys are very distant." Said Zel.

"A little over a month ago, Cassie was killed by Kelsa. Later on, I made a deal with Kelsa. I promise her safety, and she promised me a disruptive device that would cause the Quantrons to stop functioning. T.J. tried to kill her, and I killed him. Ashley left after that." Andros explained.

Zel stood from her seat, walked over to Andros, and hugged him from behind.

"It must have been hard for you." Said Zel.

"About as bad as the time I lost you." Said Andros.

"You're tired. You should sleep." Said Zel

"Not yet. I have to go talk to Karone." Said Andros. "I'll walk you to your quarters."

"Don't worry about me, Andros. I'll be fine." Said Zel.

The two stood up and headed towards the door together. Andros allowed Zel to leave first, and closed the door behind her before heading off to the brig to see Karone.

* * *

"One billion. That is the number of people that were living on KO-35 prior to the attack on Tiomar city." Said a middle-aged man with short dirty blonde hair and hazel eyes. He was the advocate, the one who opposed Karone's innocence.

"Three years ago, this woman standing before us led an army to our home planet. Two years later, there aren't even a million of us left. Astronema led a bloody campaign that resulted in the genocide of our people! How can we forgive that?! How can we let a criminal who is responsible for such crimes get away with that?!" The advocate yelled out angrily, trying to bring out the hate everyone had for Astronema, as well as their sorrow from all their loss. His voice echoed through the room.

He returned to his seat, behind a table that was placed perpendicular to the right of the arbiters. There were nine arbiters in the panel. They varied in gender and age. In the middle stood Karone, alone, facing the arbiters. A spotlight shined above her, but not so bright that it would blind her. The crowd watched from behind. A force field was put up between the crowd and Karone for her protection. Ashley, Carlos, Zel, Zhane, Andros and his mother sat in the front row.

Andros was nervous. It was his first time acting as a counselor, and his opponent presented a very good opening statement. Andros stood up and walked towards the middle. All eyes were on him.

"It's true what advocate Rymel says. How can we allow a criminal who has committed such unforgivable crimes be forgiven? We have all lost someone. We've lost husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, children and grandchildren. So how can we go without justice?"

Andros's family and friends looked at him confused, wondering why he would agree to what his opposition said.

"But who's to say that Karone isn't a victim herself? Karone was kidnapped when she was young. She was implanted with a chip that increased her aggression and created a second personality. Karone isn't the criminal that killed my friends or your familes. She was merely in the same body as the one who did kill our people."

Andros faced the judges. "I have provided documents proving that Karone was not herself during her time as Astronema. She was not in control of her actions." Andros finished his statement and went back to his table.

"Karone, would you like to say something before we begin?" asked an artibter.

"Yes." Said Karone. "I was Astronema. I did attack KO-35, against my will. I'm so sorry for the pain and suffering I have caused. If I could give my life to undo the damage, I would give my life gladly. In the end, if you choose to punish me, then I accept your punishment."

"Advocate, proceed." Said a female arbiter, who looked a few years older than Andros's mother.

The battle for Karone's freedom was now beginning.

* * *

A/N – Trial time! Sorry for the delay. I've been busy

I watched the season finale of BSG season 2 to get some inspiration for Karone's trial. I just wanted to stretch out the fic and just get a…claw in? Get the foot in the door I guess you could say. It's like the teaser of a tv show. Next chapter is going to be the first act. Next chapter will deal with her crimes, probably a mention of her dad. I wrote the scene with Andros as Karone's lawyer, but then I got rid of a defense lawyer…and then I undid that change, putting Andros back as a lawyer for Karone.

The scene between Andros and Zel was originally Ashley and Andros, but then I changed it to Zel. I wanted their first private face to face conversation to be more emotional, and I've got that situation set up in my head.

* * *

"Get all the civilian ships away from the firefight. We'll cover their escape." Said the admiral.

"Shields are down!" reported an officer.

"Enemy ships are closing in! Bearing, one nine nine mark two five!" Another officer reported. The ship rumbled.


	55. Crimes

JasonScottLeeFan – I've got a plan to reunite Andros and Ashley, but if you would like, I can speed it up. I would prefer to reunite them when I want to, but if you want them to get back together asap, I can do that for you. That, and I'm willing to do it for you since you've been such a loyal reader. Just for you ;) So, just let me know what you want.

* * *

Colonel Tyza sat on the admiral's chair. He was in command of the bridge while the Admiral watched the judgment of Karone.

"Order a fleet-wide diagnostic on the hyperrush engines." Ordered colonel Tyza.

"Sir, if we do that, we won't be able to go into hyperrush until it's complete." Said a young officer. He was responsible for the ship's systems.

"I doubt we'll be getting attacked. We're in empty space. Now do as I said or I'll have you replaced. It's been a while, and we've been stressing the engines for a long time now." Said Tyza.

"Yes, sir." Said the officer. He complied with his order. "The diagnostic should be complete within two hours, sir."

"Good." Said Tyza.

* * *

The advocate circled Karone like a Shark, getting ready to attack.

"Who's idea was it to attack Tiomar city? Asked Rymel.

"Mine." Answered Karone.

"Was it also your idea to use an anti-matter bomb?"

"Yes." Said Karone.

Rymel faced the crowd. "That anti-matter bomb wiped out the entire city in a flash." He said. "Ten million lives ended that day, in a single moment!" he yelled. His voice echoed through the room.

"Murder is a crime in every known civilization, even in those that are not yet capable of star travel." Rymel stood in front of Karone, but a little to her right. He raised his arm, parallel to the ground, and pointed his finger at her. "She committed that crime. She killed men, women, and children." Rymel went to sit down.

The crowd reacted to what Rymel said. They called for Karone's death. They threw insults at her. Karone just stood there, with her head lowered. Even though she was not in control of her actions, she felt responsible.

Andros walked over to Karone. "How do you feel when you think of the attack?" asked Andros.

"I feel terrible." She said.

Andros faced the arbiters. "Karone is literally Astronema. She and Astronema are two different people in the same body. How can you punish an innocent victim for crimes they did not commit? It was Astronema that ordered the attack in Karone's body, not Karone in her own body."

Andros walked back to his table and sat down, giving Rymel the floor.

"Let's move on to another of your many crimes. If you are Karone, daughter of Terom, then it would mean that you killed your own father." He said.

(FLASHBACK)

Chancellor Terom was strapped to a chair. He had short brown hair, and looked similar to an aged Andros.

He screamed in pain as Astronema poked him with a metallic rod. She pulled the rod away from him and began to walk around him in a circle.

"This one is a favorite of mine. It's painful, it's effective, and best of all, it doesn't harm the body as a blaster or knife would." Said Karone. She poked Terom again with the rod.

(END FLASHBACK)

Rymel faced the crowd. "I remember that day, when Astronema broadcasted that transmission. I remember the look of pleasure she had on her face as she tortured the former chancellor."

(FLASHBACK)

"Your Chancellor will be returned to you upon your surrender. It's not so bad living under Dark Specter's rule. You may even come to enjoy it." Said Astronema. Her message was being broadcasted throughout KO-35. She was trying to negotiate the surrender of KO-35, to avoid using her military force, so that she may reallocate her resources to conquering another world. She walked back to Chancellor Terom, who was strapped to a chair. He was breathing heavily, and was bloodied up.

"If you don't surrender, then I'll just do this." Astronema poked the chancellor with a black stick, causing him to scream loudly in pain.

Astronema turned back to the screen. "You have one day to respond."

(END FLASHBACK)

He looked at Karone. "You enjoyed it, didn't you?" he asked.

"No." Karone said quietly. Tears were flowing down her face.

"Are you sure? You looked like you did."

"No." Karone denied again, this time a little more loud.

"Don't deny it. You loved taking away his life. You enjoyed watching hearing scream."

"No!" Karone screamed. She sobbed.

Andros was filled with rage. He wanted to hurt Rymel. The arbiters looked at each other.

"This judgment is over for today. We shall resume tomorrow at the same time." Said the old male arbiter in the middle.

The arbiters left, as well as Rymel. People watching from behind began to leave as well. Karone's friends and family stayed. They watched as Karone was taken back to her cell, escorted by guards and Andros.

* * *

Karone's mother held her daughter in her arms. Karone was still crying after the judgment.

"Is she going to be okay?" Ashley asked Zhane. The two were on the other side of the force field, outside the cell, as was Carlos.

"Yeah. I think the worst is over." Said Andros.

"So what now?" asked Ashley.

"No-" Andros was interrupted by the sound of an alarm.

"Battlestations." Said Survivor over the P.A.

"Everyone stay here. I'm going to see what's going on." Said Andros as he ran out of the brig.

* * *

The admiral entered the bridge.

"Admiral on deck!" said one of the officers.

"Report." Said the Admiral.

"Twenty Galaxy class warships just dropped out of hyperrush, sir. Warp engines are down, and shields are down to ten percent. Most of the ships are targeting us, sir. We've deployed all wings. All turrets and batteries are online and firing, sir." Tyza reported.

"Get all the civilian ships away from the firefight. We'll cover their escape." Said the admiral.

"Shields are down!" reported an officer.

"Enemy fighterss are closing in! Bearing, one nine nine mark two five!" Another officer reported. The ship rumbled.

"We've been boarded! Piranhatrons detected on decks thirty-six, twenty-five, nine, five, and four."

Andros entered the chaotic bridge. The ship rumbled and sparks flew. "What's going on?" he asked.

The admiral turned around and looked at Andros. "We've been boarded." Said the admiral.

"Andros, Tyza, take security teams and take out the intruders." Ordered the admiral.

"Yes, sir." Said Andros and the colonel.

* * *

A/N – I seem to be sadistic when it comes to fictional characters. I honestly don't know why. This story may mainly focus on Andros and Ashley, but I still wanted Karone to have a little part in this. I wanted to introduce the Karovans, since they were in the series, but since Karone was there, I thought, hey let's just try her as well. So, she "nuked' a city, killed her old man, and, well, who knows what else she did. So, intruder alert. There's gonna be a fun twist. Now, we're almost done with the Karovan storyline, so, JSLF, rejoice. ^^'

Here's the preview for the next chapter.

* * *

He raised his rifle and shot the guard closest to him. The guard dropped dead on the floor. The others turned around, but they were too late. He shot them all and walked past their lifeless bodies. They had been betrayed.


	56. Boarded

JasonScottLeeFan – Uh, sorry, but can I get a clearer answer to Ashley/Andros, please ^^' So, you want them to get together, asap? And the Karovan military storyline is over in 2 more chapters. Just bear with me, please. Jason will also make another appearance in future episodes. I'll see what I can do about Rocky.

* * *

Colonel Tyza and Andros were on the elevator, trying to get to the boarded decks.

"I'll go to engineering. You go to deck nine and clear the deck. Contact me after." Said Tyza.

"Yes, sir." Said Andros. Deck nine was there the missile launchers were. If the Piranhatrons gained control of them, they could use the launchers and fire missiles at the fleet.

The elevator stopped at deck nine. Andros got off and ran towards the sound of gunfire, morphing along the way.

* * *

The ship rumbled again. Ashley fell to her knees.

"Ashley! Are you okay?" asked Carlos as he helped her get back up.

"I"ll be fine." She said. The two were in the brig, along with one security officer, Karone, and her mother.

"What's going on?" Karone asked the guard.

"I think we're under attack." Answered the guard.

"But who's attacking us?" Carlos wondered.

Suddenly, the door blew open. Ashley and Carlos hit the floor, while the guard remained in his position. The brig was flooded with Piranhatrons that came in shooting. They killed the lone guard, and then aimed their guns at the rangers. Ashley and Carlos morphed and dodged the shots. They drew their blasters and shot down the attacking Piranhatrons.

"Does that answer your question?" asked Ashley.

Carlos kept watch at the door while Ashley unlocked Karone's cell, lowering the force field, and allowing Karone and her mother to leave the cell. Karone picked up the guard's weapons and then turned to her mother.

"Mother, do you know where the civilians are?" asked Karone.

"Deck twenty-five." She answered.

"Guys, we've got to go to deck twenty-five." Said Karone.

* * *

"We can't take much more of this, sir!" reported an officer on the deck. The survivor was being attacked, but they couldn't move. They had to cover the civilian ships.

"Are the civilian ships still unable to go to hyperrush?" asked the admiral.

"Yes sir, they can't bypass the diagnostic. Same with the warships. They won't be able to hyperrush for another fifteen minutes."

The ship rumbled violently. "Shields are down! Sir, we can't take much more of this!"

"Concentrate our fire on their weapons. Relay that message to the fleet and our wings!" Ordered the admiral.

* * *

"I hear you, Survivor." Zel acknowledged her new orders.

"Gamma Squadron, follow me." Zel ordered as she turned her fighter around.

Seven other fighters flew behind Zel as she flew towards the nearest enemy warship.

"Our orders are to take out their weapons. Target the plasma batteries first. We'll hit a target and then come back for another pass." Zel explained to her fellow pilots.

"I hear you, Zel." One of the Gamma Squadron pilots replied.

One by one, the fighters fired missiles at a battery and flew to the back of the line.

"Zel to Survivor, right batteries have been taken care of." She reported.

* * *

Andros pointed his blaster forward as he walked along the corridor of deck nine. He looked in all directions for signs of the enemy. Eventually, when he turned the corner, he ran into a group of ten Piranhatrons. He fired a few shots before running back for cover. He jumped back out and fired a few more shots, hitting three Piranhatrons. The Piranhatrons fired at Andros. Their barrage was never ending. The Piranhatrons were closing in. Andros had no choice but to retreat.

* * *

Karone pointed her gun forward as she led the way towards the elevators. They were on their way to deck twenty-five. The rangers were going to drop off Karone's mother in the cargo bay where the civilian refugees were residing in.

Karone stopped dead in her tracks. She saw two Piranhatrons at a control panel, trying to sabotage the ship. She aimed and fired at one, then the other. Karone looked around to see if there were anymore Piranhatrons.

"All clear." She said as she pressed on forward. They safely made their way to the elevator.

"Deck twenty-five." Karone requested.

They arrived at deck twenty-five without any encounters with Piranhatrons. They walked through the corridors to the cargo bay where the civilians were. Just outside the doors, they saw nine guards hiding behind crates. They had used the crates to form two barricades, to protect themselves from fire from all possible sides. As soon as they saw Karone, they pointed their guns at her.

"Wait!" Karone cried out with her arms in the air.

Karone's mother quickly stepped in front of Karone.

"What are you doing here?" asked one of the guards.

"We're here to leave my mother in your protection." Said Karone.

The guard hesitated for a moment.

"Please. I just want my mother to be safe. I'll leave." Said Karone.

"Fine. Send her over." Said the guard.

"Thank you." Said Karone as her mother walked towards the guards.

"Incoming!" screamed another guard. Piranhatrons were closing in from the other side.

"Behind you!" screamed the first guard. The rangers looked behind them and saw Piranhatrons running towards them.

"Get in here!" screamed the guard.

* * *

Colonel Tyza was on deck thirty-four. As soon as he got off the elevator, he ran towards the nearest weapons locker. There, he grabbed a radio headset, a rifle blaster, armor, and a sidearm. He closed the locker and headed towards the elevator. On the way, he met up with five guards, all fully equipped and ready to fight.

They all entered the elevator and went down to deck thirty-six, the engineering deck which had been boarded by the enemy. The guards took point while the colonel covered their flank.

So far, they had not encountered any enemy units. Colonel Tyza stopped. He raised his rifle and shot the guard closest to him. The guard dropped dead on the floor. The others turned around, but they were too late. The colonel shot them all and walked past their lifeless bodies. They had been betrayed.

* * *

A/N- Almost over, JSLF. I'm surprised no one guessed Tyza. He ordered the diagnostic on the hyperrush, after all. Ch 57 will soon follow. I just wanted to end on a cliff.

* * *

The engineers rushed towards the door. Once the doors opened, they saw Piranhatrons and started to turn back.

Tyza pointed his blaster at the engineers and began to fire, as did the Piranhatrons. They fired until all the engineers were dead.


	57. Traitor

It's almost over!! The Kavoran saga of the fic i mean...well, the fanfic itself as well. I don't want to write more chapters about missions...its repetative and it'll get boring. But don't worry, I still have like, well, a couple of chapters left in the tank.

JSLF - You're going to like next chapter cause well, you'll see next week when I update

* * *

Andros ran to the next corner as he tried to dodge the shots from the Piranhatrons. There were ten Piranhatrons attacking him, and Andros only had three more corners to hide behind. He fired more rounds, but missed. The Piranhatrons fired back, forcing Andros to hide behind the corner. The Piranhatrons never stopped firing. They slowly moved closer to Andros. Suddenly, the firing stopped. Andros looked to see why. He saw the remaining Piranhatrons on the floor, and Zhane standing over them.

"Can't you take on some Piranhatrons by yourself?" Zhane joked.

"I had them where I wanted." Said Andros with a smirk on his face, behind his mask.

"Has this deck been cleared?" asked Zhane.

"Survivor? Are there any more enemy units on this deck?" asked Andros.

A holographic projection of Survivor appeared. "None on this deck." She reported.

"Does that answer your question?" Andros asked Zhane.

* * *

"I'm empty!" Karone yelled through the loud sounds of blaster fire. She and the rangers were helping the guards defend the door into the cargo bay where the civilians were hiding in.

"Here!" said a guard as he tossed Karone a clip of ammunition. Karone reloaded and began firing at the Piranhatrons once again.

The charge finally stopped. It seemed as though it was finally over. Everyone turned around and leaned against the barricade.

"Please, open the door and let my mother in." pleaded Karone.

The head guard stood up and opened the door.

Karone's mother hugged Karone before going in. The guard closed the door and sat back down.

"Eifys, Fiera, check the corridors. Look out for any more Piranhatrons." Ordered the guard.

The two guards went to the two corners that led to the cargo bay.

"Looks fine here." Said Fiera before walking back towards the group.

"Incoming!" Eifys yelled out. He tried to run back, but he was hit in the leg. He fell onto the floor, and tried to get back up.

Karone dropped her blaster and jumped over the barricade.

"Karone! What are you doing?!" asked Ashley.

"Cover me." She said as she ran towards Eifys. She helped him get up and put his arm over her.

"Behind you!" yelled Carlos. The guards began firing at the Piranhatrons while trying to avoid hitting Karone or Eifys. Karone moved to the left side of the corridor so that the others would have space to shoot at the Piranhatrons. She finally made it back to the group with Eifys. Two guards helped her get Eifys over the barricade. Once Karone was on the other side, she began to fire again.

* * *

Colonel Tyza made his way to engineering. He stood outside, near the door. He heard a storm of footsteps coming towards him and raised his blaster. Piranhatrons came from all sides and pointed their weapons at him.

"It's me, Tyza." He said. "Passcode: Theta-pi-dash-four."

They Piranhatrons lowered their guns, as did Tyza as he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Kill all the engineers that come out of this door." Tyza ordered as he pointed to the door leading into engineering.

The main control room was had two levels and various control. In the middle of the room was a long, glowing, yellow tube. It was the primary power generator for the ship.

There were twenty engineers working on the lower deck and seven on the upper deck.

"Sir?" a young blonde female engineer stood before him, a little scared by the situation.

"Is there anything I can help you with?" she asked.

"Yes, there is." Said Tyza.

"I need everyone to come down here now!" said Tyza in a very loud voice. Everyone in engineering scrambled to his position.

"I need you all to evacuate this place. This is a direct command. Move!"

The engineers rushed towards the door. Once the doors opened, they saw Piranhatrons and started to turn back, but it was too late.

Tyza pointed his blaster at the engineers and began to fire from behind them, as did the Piranhatrons from the front. They fired until all the helpless engineers were dead.

"Stay outside and don't let anyone in." ordered Tyza.

He walked over to the power generator and began to press buttons. A new alarm sounded. It sounded like a warning.

* * *

The enemy ships had finally been neutralized. The Survivor however, was badly damaged.

The new alarm sounded.

"Sir, the primary power generator is overloading! If we don't stop it in time, it'll destroy the ship!" reported one of the officers.

"Engineering is not responding to calls, sir!" reported another officer.

"Contact Andros and all available units and technicians." Ordered the admiral.

* * *

"We're holding position outside the civilian cargo bay. We can't risk compromising our position." Said the head guard.

Karone looked at him curiously, wondering what was going on. She felt as if they were all in imminent danger, due to the sound of the alarm.

"What is it?" asked Karone.

"The primary power generator in engineering is overloading, but we can't make contact with engineering. We've got fifteen minutes until the generator explodes. We need to shut it down." The guard explained.

"Shouldn't we evacuate?" asked Carlos.

"We need clearance from command before we start evacuating. They're doing a deck by deck scan to see if there are any enemy units in the ship. Once we're cleared, we're going to help evacuate the civilians."

"I'm going to engineering. You guys help the civilians evacuate." Said Karone. She reloaded her weapon, jumped over the barricade, and ran towards the nearest elevator.

* * *

"This way!" said Andros as he led Zhane to engineering. They stopped dead in their tracks as soon as they turned the last corner. They saw Piranhatrons outside the doors of engineering and rushed back behind the corner before they were seen.

"I saw about fifteen." Said Andros.

"Same here." Said Zhane.

"On three. One, two, th-" they were interrupted by the sound of weapons fire.

Andros and Zhane looked at each other. They both turned the corner and pointed their weapons, ready to fire. They saw Karone with a blaster rifle in her arms, standing in the middle of the corridor surrounded by the bodies of Piranhatrons.

The two rangers stared at Karone in surprise and amazement.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing. Let's go save the day." Said Zhane.

The three rangers entered the room together with their weapons raised. They immediately saw the bodies of the engineers. The also saw one person standing in front of the main power generator.

"Stay where you are." Said Andros to the person. The person raised his head

"Turn around, slowly." Andros ordered.

The person turned around. It was Tyza.

"You." Said Karone.

"You know him?" asked Zhane.

"He's the one who sold me tactical information about the Kavoran military. That's why the military never stood a chance. He's also the one who brought our father to me when I…"

"Yes. I was the one. I betrayed our people." Tyza admitted.

"But why?" asked Andros.

"For power and money. But part of my deal helping to destroy the remaining Karovan fleet. Your arrival provided me with the opportunity to keep the fleet in this area of space. I ordered the two guards to attack you, and I leaked the news of your presence here." Tyza explained. He knew that he was trapped. There was no way to escape.

"Who are you working for?" asked Andros.

"The Alliance." Answered Tyza.

"Andros, we need to shut down that reactor." Said Zhane.

Andros turned his head to face Zhane. "I know."

The moment of distraction provided Tyza with a chance. He reached for his side arm and pointed it at Andros, but Karone was quicker. She saw Tyza and shot him before Tyza had a chance to shoot Andros.

The three rangers stood there for a moment, surprised by Tyza's death. Then, Andros rushed to the console which controlled the power generator.

"Do you have any idea how to shut down the reactor?" asked Zhane.

"Can't we just cut power to it or something?" asked Karone.

"It's a power generator. It generates the power, so cutting power would only cut power to the ship. Wait. Zhane, go check the hyperrush drive. " ordered Andros.

"Command, are the shields and inertial dampeners functional?" asked Andros through the com line.

"Andros! Hyperrush is operational!" reported Zhane.

"Yes, they are." The admiral replied.

"I'm going to try to divert all this extra power to the hyperrush, shields, and inertial dampeners. So set a course and brace yourselves."

"Ready." The admiral replied less than a minute after hearing Andros's idea.

Andros re-routed as much power as he could to the hyperrush, shields, and inertial dampeners, not knowing whether the plan would work or not. .

"Here we go."

* * *

A/N – So, Tyza's dead, and the ship's about to blow. I originally had Andros killing Tyza in cold blood, but then, well, I didn't want Andros to have that reputation, so I changed it.

* * *

"Don't go." Said Andros.

"I lost you once, but I don't want to lose you again." he added.

Ashley turned around. "Andros…"


	58. Path

A/N - I'm going to be busy with school for the next couple of weeks, so, sorry, but the chapters will be way slower. I hope this chapter makes up for it though.

JSLF - You're going to like this one

* * *

Zel leaned back against her seat in the cockpit of her fighter ship. The battle was over, and they had won, but at a cost. She had lost some friends in the battle, and she had no idea how many might have died on board the Survivor.

"Let's go home." Said Zel to her fellow pilots. Zel changed her focus on the ship.

Suddenly, the Survivor jumped to hyperrush and disappeared.

"What the…" Zel couldn't believe that she and her pilots had just been left in space. She immediately hailed the other ships for assistance.

* * *

The ship rumbled violently as it passed through space at a speed even faster than maximum hyperrush speed.

"Sir! The ship is falling apart!" reported one of the bridge officers.

"Evacuate the weakened areas and seal off the bulkheads and corridors in that area." Ordered the Admiral.

Suddenly the ship stopped rumbling.

"Report."

"We've dropped out of hyperrush. Power levels are returning to normal."

"Where are we?" asked the Admiral.

"We're one light minute away from orbit around Onyx, sir." Reported the navigations officers.

"But, we weren't even in hyperrush for more than fifteen minutes." Said the admiral.

"The massive burst of power must have significantly increased our speed." Said another officer on the bridge.

* * *

Andros stood over the controls of the primary power generator. It was over. The power levels were returning to normal, and all of the Piranhatrons had been taken care of.

"Power levels have returned to normal." Andros reported.

"So, we're not going to die in a horrible explosion?" asked Zhane.

"No, we're not." Answered Andros.

"Well good. That's very good." Said Zhane.

* * *

A few hours had passed since the Survivor jumped to hyperrush. The crew began repairs, as well as routine security sweeps, just in case they missed a Piranhatron or two. The Survivor was too damaged to jump to hyperrush again, so the fleet joined the Survivor near orbit of Onyx.

"Took you long enough to get here." Andros said to Zel as he welcomed her back to the Survivor.

"Not my fault your Megaship is as slow as a galaxy glider." Zel joked.

"It's definitely better than that bucket of bolts you've been piloting." Andros joked back.

"How many casualties?" Zel asked seriously.

"Many. The civilians were unharmed though. How about on your end?" asked Andros.

"We lost some good fliers." Said Zel.

Andros walked closer and hugged Zel, comforting her.

* * *

The day passed, and Karone stood before the arbiters once again.

Her judgment resumed as scheduled. Both parties made their cases, and left the arbiters to decide Karone's fate.

Karone stood nervously before the arbiters. This time, she had more support. The guards that Karone fought alongside with were among her supporters.

"Based on the evidence, as well as your recent actions, we have determined that you are innocent of the accused crimes. You are free to go. This judgment is now over."

Most of the crowd behind them cheered as the arbiters declared Karone's innocence. Some others screamed angrily, calling for her death. But to Karone, the declaration of her innocence simply meant that she was not going to be executed. She still felt that she had a lot to make up for.

* * *

Andros sat across from the Admiral in his quarters.

"We can't afford to lose you in this war." Said the admiral.

"That's why I'm erasing your records." He added.

"Sir, I shouldn't be given any special treatment." Andros protested.

"If we weren't near the brink of extinction, I'd have you arrested. But, the current situation calls for some rule bending. You've done more damage to the Alliance than anyone else has. We need you to keep that up. That's why I'm letting you retain command of the Megaship. You can also take up to two hundred crewman of your choice from within the fleet."

"Sir, I'd like to keep the Megaship in orbit around Earth, as a base of operations you could say." Said Andros. "Please, sir."

"Very well." Said the Admiral.

"Also, I'd like volunteers for my crew. I don't want to force this on anyone." Said Andros.

"You never seem to make this easy for me." Said the admiral. "Good luck with your new mission, Captain."

* * *

"Are you sure about this?" asked Andros.

He was in the Survivor's hangar bay with Karone, their mother, and Zhane. Ashley, Carlos, and Zel were already in the transport ship. Zel was the first to volunteer to be part of Andros's new crew, and she was also given the position of second in command, as well as blue ranger.

"I'm sure. I want to stay here and help. Besides, I've got to make up for all the lost time with mother." Said Karone. She had decided to stay and serve on the ship, as a medic, as well as a soldier. Zhane decided to stay with her to protect her from any that would harm her, and to help the Karovan people.

"Don't worry. I'll keep her safe." Said Zhane.

"Goodbye then." Said Andros as he hugged Karone.

"Goodbye, Andros." Said Karone.

Andros hugged Zhane as well. "Stop, you'll make me cry." Zhane joked.

Zhane stepped out of the way so that Andros would be able to speak with his mother.

"You've grown so much. I'm proud of you. Your father would be proud of you as well." Said Andros's mother, with her right hand on Andros's left cheek.

She grabbed Andros's hand and placed a necklace in his palm, then closed his hand.

"Don't give up on her. She's a good girl." Said Andros's mother

"Mother…"

"Karone told me everything."

"We're-"

"Just, don't give up. I don't want you to live in regret. Now go, your transport is waiting."

"Goodbye, mother." Said Andros. Andros walked into the transport ship. He walked past Ashley and Carlos and took the co-pilot's seat.

* * *

"Captain on deck!" Zel said loudly as she and Andros entered the bridge. Everyone on deck stood up.

"At ease everyone." Said Andros. He saw Zel smirk. He smirked back.

"Sir, we're receiving a transmission from the Survivor." Said a female officer.

"On Screen." Andros ordered.

It was the Admiral. "Good luck to you. You will not be forgotten." Said the Admiral before ending the transmission.

"Set a course for Earth. Hyperrush eight." Andros ordered.

"Yes, sir." The pilot replied.

* * *

Andros was in his quarters, looking over the files of his new crew. The door bell rang.

"Enter." Said Andros.

The door slid open and Zel walked through.

"Shouldn't you be on the bridge?" asked Andros.

"I left Royen in command. I wanted to tell you that we're almost in Earth's solar system." Said Zel.

"You didn't have to come here to tell me that." Said Andros. He put down the files and leaned back against his chair.

"I also wanted to ask you if you've talked to her yet." Said Zel.

Andros didn't bother denying the truth. "No." he answered.

"You should." Said Zel.

"This is not your concern." Said Andros.

"I don't want you to regret not talking to her. I know I would regret it if I was in your situation." Said Zel before getting up to leave.

Andros remained silent. "I'll go back to my duty, sir." Said Zel before leaving.

Zel opened the door, and saw Carlos right in front of her. He stepped out of the way to let Zel pass, and then walked into Andros's quarters.

"Can we talk?" he asked.

"Go ahead." Said Andros.

"It's been a while since T.J. and Cassie died." Said Carlos.

Andros remained silent.

"I was angry at first, angry at you, for killing T.J." said Carlos.

Carlos took a deep breath. "I'll make this short; I forgive you." He said.

"I see." Said Andros.

"Yeah. Well, it's not like he left you much choice. It's sad that he's gone, but, you can't live in the past. Forgive and forget, you know? Well, I just wanted to tell you that, so, I'll be going now." Said Carlos.

"Carlos." Said Andros, stopping Carlos who had already turned his back and begun to walk towards the door.

He turned around and faced Andros. "Yeah?"

"Would you like to remain as the black ranger?." Asked Andros.

* * *

Ashley stood in front of the room in her quarters, alone. She was wondering how her parents were going to react to her week-long disappearance.

She was looking forward to going back to Earth, to going back to a normal life, and leaving all the ranger business behind, but at the same time, she felt as if she was leaving a piece of herself behind.

She was also thinking of the moment she privately spoke with Andros's mother on the Survivor.

(FLASHBACK)

Ashley was in Zel's quarters, getting ready to leave the ship so that she could go back home.

The door opened, and Andros's mother stepped through.

Ashley turned around to see who it was. "Hello." She said.

"Hello. How are you?" asked Andros's mother.

"I'm well, yourself?"

"I don't know. I get to spend time with my daughter, but my son is going away."

Ashley didn't know how to respond, so she tried to change the topic.

"Zel's not here right now, but I think she's in the hangar bay." Said Ashley.

"I came to talk to you."

They both took a seat at the edge of the lower bunk bed.

"Karone told me that you and Andros were once involved with each other." Said Andros's mother.

"Yes. That's true." Ashley replied.

"She also told me why you and Andros are no longer together."

"I see." Said Ashley. The conversation brought back unwanted emotions and memories.

"I just wanted to thank you, for taking care of him when you did. It must have been hard for him to be fighting alone for two years."

"You don't need to thank me." Said Ashley.

"In any case, thank you. I hope you can forgive him."

"He still has feelings for you." Andros's mother continued to say.

She stood up, as did Ashley. "Love is hard, and it can hurt, but the rewards are unimaginably amazing." Said Andros's mother. "Think about it. I'll leave you to your packing now. Goodbye Ashley. I hope we meet again."

(END FLASHBACK)

The door hissed as it slid open. Ashley assumed it was Carlos and didn't bother turning around.

"We'll arrive in Earth's orbit shortly." He informed her.

Ashley recognized that voice, but it wasn't Carlos's voice; it was Andros. Her heart sank. She didn't turn around to face him.

"Okay." She quietly replied.

Andros took a couple of steps forward. "I never thanked you for rescuing me from the facility on Renosar."

"It's fine. I'm sure I owed you for the times you've saved my life." Said Ashley, her back still turned against Andros.

"You don't owe me anything. It's me that owes you, for all the suffering I've caused you."

There was silence in the room, until finally, Andros decided to speak up. "I don't want you to go." He said.

"I have to. My parents are probably freaking out right now." Said Ashley.

"That's not what I meant." Said Andros.

Ashley turned around. Andros took a couple more steps towards Ashley.

"I lost you once, but I don't want to lose you again." He said.

"Andros…"

"If I were heartless, if there was no humanity left in me, I wouldn't be capable of caring about you." He said, walking closer towards her. Ashley began to step back in response.

"That…that was uncalled for, sorry. I was angry at the time." Said Ashley, with her head down.

"Andros." Zel interrupted through the com line.

"Go ahead." Said Andros.

"We've arrive in Earth's orbit. I'll prep a transport." Said Zel.

"Thank you." Said Andros, before turning his attention back to Ashley.

"I guess I had better get going now." Said Ashley.

"Don't go." Said Andros. . "I lost you once, but I don't want to lose you again.".

Ashley turned around. "Andros…"

"The past month I spent on Gekrinos was hell. I had no desire to live. Everyday, I thought about shooting myself with my own blaster. You kept me alive. You-"

"Andros!" Ashley snapped. She couldn't bear to hear this. It made her sad. She didn't want to care, but subconsciously, she was just trying to deny her true feelings. In order to avoid facing the facts, she began walking towards the door, trying to escape.

"I love you." Andros blurted, his voice a little louder than normal. Ashley stopped dead in her tracks.

"I love you." He repeated, this time quieter.

Ashley didn't know how to respond. Andros stood at the tip of his toes, wondering how she would respond, but hoped for a positive response.

Andros walked towards her. He placed his hand on her shoulder. Ashley turned around and faced Andros. Their eyes met. She had tears flowing down her face. Andros slowly lowered his head and planted his lips on hers. She kissed him back. It seemed like everything was going to be okay, but suddenly, Ashley pulled away and lightly pushed Andros away as well.

"No. I can't. Not again." She said.

"Why?" asked Andros.

"I…I just…-"

"Are you afraid?"

"Sorry to interrupt." Said Zel through the com line.

"Go ahead." Said Andros.

"We've arrived at Earth's orbit." She reported.

"Thank you."

Ashley took deep breaths. "I have to go." She turned around and began walking towards the door again.

"If you leave, we may never see each other again. Can you live with that? Are you sure you won't live in regret?"

"Why do you care?!" yelled Ashley.

"I can't let the one person that I can't live without walk away from my life!" Andros yelled back.

"If you love me, let me go." Said Ashley in a quiet tone. The two stood silent in the room for a moment, before Ashley finally left, with the door closing behind her.

"Dammit!" yelled Andros. He grabbed a chair and tossed it against the wall.

The door slid open and Ashley walked back in. The two looked at each other. Ashley walked over to Andros and gave him a long, passionate kiss.

* * *

A/N – I hope you guys liked that. I drew inspiration from Farscape, as well as The Notebook for the A/A scene. I wasn't sure if I should hook the two up or not, and well, I leave it up to your guess. She kissed him, but it could be a goodbye kiss. I guess you'll see in the coming chapters.

So, Zel is the blue ranger. That's one of the reason for the whole Karovan encounter. I wanted her to be the blue ranger, and I also wanted the thing for Karone. Also, like in the show, Zhane stayed with them. Obviously, Karone is innocent. As for Andros, I wrote him a way out.

Originally, I was going to have Cassie be captured by the phantoms, and then exchanged for Karone, but during the trade off, I was gonna kill off Cassie, and give Karone to the phantoms, but, that idea didn't make it to the net.

Before I had the idea of splitting Andros and Ashley up, I was going to have the scene with Andros's mom and Ashley, but I was gonna have Ashley returned the necklace saying that it belongs to her, and have Andros's mom say "keep it" or something along those lines.

* * *

"Move it!" screamed Zel through the com as she stood on the bridge with Andros.

"Do you want to die or do you want to live?!" Zel screamed again.


	59. Routine

JSLF – I thought the kiss at the end would have been the give away that they're back together. Well, this chapter confirms it. Also, there have been like 2 female blue rangers before. If I made Zel like the red ranger, then it'd be weird. The original plan was to have Zel as the pink ranger, but then, for some reason that I can't remember, I made Karone the pink ranger. I actually don't read fanfiction anymore, but I did just skim your fic, and, your writing is…way better than mine. I've got a project for school which takes up so much of my thinking time, and I don't have any days to write. I'm squeezing in a bit of time right now for the fic. But honestly, thank you for your support, cause without you, I don't know if I'd have gone so far with this fic.

Jusea – thnx for letting me know about the typo. It should be fixed now.

* * *

Ashley and Carlos were flown down to the Earth, at Nasada Spaceport. It was a Saturday afternoon. Carlos and Ashley took the bus into the city. They were almost at Ashley's house.

"Are you going to be okay?" he asked.

"I hope so. Just remember to stick to the story." Ashley replied.

"Okay. Good luck." Said Carlos before Ashley got up and left the bus.

Ashley nervously walked towards her house.

As she walked towards the house from the front gate, she felt as if she was walking to the electric chair. She assumed her parents would be worried, as well as furious for her week long disappearance.

She reached into her pocket and took out her key, which she had managed to hold onto during the week. She unlocked the door and walked in. As soon as she walked into her house, she noticed the keys in the key bowl. She knew her parents were home. She heard foot steps coming towards her, and prepared herself for her family's reactions.

Her mother came from the corner first, immediately followed by her father.

"Ashley!" Her mother cried as she ran towards Ashley and hugged her with tears in her eyes.

"Where are you been?" her mother asked after separating from Ashley.

"I-I-"

"We've been worried sick about you!" Her mother interrupted.

"We even called the police." Her father added, calmly.

"I'm sorry. I just…had to leave town." Said Ashley.

"You could have called!" Her mother yelled.

"The phones weren't working, mom! Look, I said I'm sorry!" said Ashley.

Her father took a deep breath. "Look, the important thing is, she's home, and she's safe. Let's leave it that."

Ashley's mother hugged Ashley once more. "I'm glad you're back." She said.

"Me too." Said Ashley.

* * *

Darkonda stood on the bridge of the Dark Fortress. He faced the right side, where there was a small space occupied by Zordon's tube. He had been transferred to the fortress on Darkonda's orders.

"We now have the knowledge to create a power generator that can easily power this fortress, and it's all thanks to you, Zordon." Said Darkonda.

"You will not rule the universe." Said Zordon.

"I don't know about that. This fortress cannot be matched even by the combined power of the universe's military force. Not even your rangers can stop me now. I'll just keep you alive so that you can witness the conquering of Earth." Said Darkonda.

"You will not succeed." Said Zordon.

* * *

"Move it!" screamed Zel through the com as she stood on the bridge with Andros.

"Do you want to die or do you want to live?!" Zel screamed again.

"Elapsed time five minutes, forty-three seconds." Deca reported.

"Congratulations, we're dead." Andros said over the com.

"This is a new ship, and I understand that you don't fully know your way around, but we need to get our time below three minutes." He added.

"We got stuck with a bunch of bottom feeders." Said Zel.

"They'll learn. We were like them when we first started." Said Andros.

"You seem happier. Did something happen between you and Ashley?" asked Zel.

"I'm not going to talk about this on the bridge." Said Andros.

"Then let's go to your quarters and talk about it." Said Zel.

"Not while we're on duty." Said Andros.

"You're the Captain. You make the rules." Said Zel.

"Captains have to follow them as well." Said Andros.

* * *

Andros leaned back against his chair in his quarters.

"That's good to hear. How's mother?" Andros asked Karone, who was communicating through a private transmission on a viewscreen in his room.

"She's well. We've been making up lost time. She misses you though." Said Karone. She was in her quarters on the Survivor, somewhere in the galaxy.

"I miss her too." Said Andros.

"I hope our ships meet again. It's been months since you left. So tell me what happened between you and Ashley. I had to leave before you had a chance to finish." Said Karone.

"Well…"

(FLASHBACK)

The door slid open and Ashley walked back in. The two looked at each other. Ashley walked over to Andros and gave him a long, passionate kiss.

Ashley and Andros finally separated. Their foreheads touched, and their eyes were closed.

"I've been trying to deny these feelings for some time now. I thought I was over you. I thought I hated you. I thought-"

Andros interrupted Ashley with a kiss.

They both smiled.

"Hangar bay to Ashley, please report to the hangar bay." Said the pilot through the com.

"I have to go." Said Ashley.

They separated from each other. Ashley walked backwards towards the door. "I'll see you again." She said.

(END FLASHBACK)

"So? What happened after?" asked Karone.

"I-"

"Karone to the infirmary." Said Zel over the com.

"Sorry, I've go to go." Said Karone.

"Alright. It was good to talk to you again. Bye." Said Andros, ending her transmission.

* * *

"Are we ready to go?" asked Andros as he arrived on the bridge with Carlos.

"Just running a final system's check." Zel reported.

"Take a seat." Andros said to Carlos, who complied.

"Hyperrush is online." Reported one officer.

"Course plotted. Thrusters are ready to burn."

"Navigation and sensors are operational."

"Life support is fully functional."

"Weapons ready to fire."

Andros took a seat in the Captains's chair.

"Hyperrush nine." He ordered.

* * *

A/N – This was just a kind of transitional chapter between the big story chapters to the following saga. I just wanted the characters to get into a routine, hence the chapter. After Friday, I'll have Saturdays free for writing future chapters.

* * *

Andros put his cloak over his head and used a scarf to cover his face. Once the transport ship landed and opened its doors, Andros stood up and exited the ship, followed by six, well armed soldiers.

* * *

I'm still working on the next chapter, so I couldn't give you guys a better preview. Sorry.


	60. Prom

A/N – I'm back! I didn't really want to put Andros and Ashley back together. I wanted to keep them away til near the end, like in the movie, Serendipity. But, oh well. I screwed up.

JSLF – I didn't think you were being mean at all. I thought you were criticizing constructively. Tori from Ninja Storm was blue. I'm not a fan of Rocky so I'm not going to make him blue. Plus, I'd probably have to kill off Zel to give him the power…

* * *

Zel sat across Andros in his quarters. They spent hours going over duty rosters, mission logs, and other matters of importance.

"What are we going to do about yellow?" Zel asked out of the blue.

"What?" asked Andros.

"What are we going to do about the position of yellow ranger?" asked Zel. "We need to fill the position, and Ashley hasn't taken back the position. So, if the position is vacant…"

"Make a list of candidates." Ordered Andros.

* * *

Andros stood across the street from Ashley's high school. School was over and the kids were fleeing home. He searched through the crowd of students for Ashley. He finally saw her and waved. She saw him and walked across the street to see him.

"I missed you." Said Andros.

"I missed you too." Said Ashley.

"Can we talk?" asked Andros.

"Sure." Said Ashley as she began walking towards her house, with Andros at her side.

"Have you considered coming back as the yellow ranger?" asked Andros.

"I have, and, I can't." said Ashley. "After last time, I realized how hard it would be on my parents if anything were to happen to me. I know it sounds selfish, but, I just can't do it again. I'm sorry." Said Ashley.

Andros lowered his head in disappointment, and then dropped the subject immediately.

"So, how have you been?" asked Andros.

"I've been alright. Just busy with school. Three more months and I'm done. Wow. It's actually kind of scary, now that I think about it." Said Ashley.

A breeze passed by, and messed up the rangers' hairs. Ashley closed her eyes and enjoyed the cool breeze, absorbing all the life from it.

"It's kind of funny, actually. I've been a ranger, risked my life, and fought evil, yet, the idea of graduating and moving on kind of scares me." She explained.

"I'll always be here for you if you need me." Said Andros.

Ashley rested her head on Andros's shoulder as they walked.

"That's sweet." Said Ashley.

They continued to walk until finally, they reached her home.

"Hey, before you go, I wanted to ask you something." Said Ashley.

"What is it?" asked Andros.

"In June, I'm going to the prom. I was wondering if you would like to go with me." Asked Ashley.

"What is a prom?" asked Andros.

"It's a social event. You dress up, you dance, take pictures, it's kind of an Earth ritual for people my age." Ashley explained.

"Anything, for you." Said Andros.

"So that's a yes?"

"That's a yes." Andros confirmed.

* * *

(FOUR MONTHS LATER)

Andros arrived on the bridge. "Report." He said.

"We're in orbit of Onyx." Zel reported.

"Good. Four months and he finally makes contact. I'm going down there alone." Said Andros.

"I don't think that's a good idea." Said Zel. "Last time you were on that planet, you got captured."

"I don't want to risk the lives of our crew." Said Andros.

"We can't afford to lose our Captain and Red Ranger." Argued Zel.

"Fine. I'll take a team." Said Andros.

"Good. They could use some experience." Said Zel. She walked over to the Captain's chair and took a seat.

"I'll keep your ship running in the meantime." Said Zel

"Don't get too comfortable." Said Andros.

* * *

Andros put his cloak over his head and used a scarf to cover his face. Once the transport ship landed and opened its doors, Andros stood up and led the way out. He was followed by six, well armed soldiers.

Together they walked into town. The town was fairly empty. There were only a few people outside. Andros led the soldiers to the saloon. The saloon wasn't busy, but it did have some customers. Business on Onyx had gone down since Darkonda began to recruits bounty hunters and other evil beings. Andros scanned the bar and found Gowon. He ordered his men to stay at the door before walking over to him and taking a seat next to him.

"I trust it wasn't you that sold me out to Darkonda last time." Said Andros.

Gowon turned his head. He couldn't believe it. Andros was sitting next to him.

"Andros! You're alive! That's great! And of course I wouldn't sell you out. You're my favorite client. Not to mention the only client that I don't have to worry about killing me." Said Gowon.

"Do you have any new information for me?" asked Andros.

"Yeah, of course. Do you want a drink? On me. Let me get you a glass of Terynic, it's your favorite after all." Said Gowon.

"No. Just tell me what you know." Said Andros.

"Okay, well, word is, Razios is rebelling against Darkonda's rule. Darkonda's mobilizing an army to quell the rebellion. They're supposed to deploy next week."

Gowon handed him a gold coin. "As usual, all the data is in there." He said.

"Thanks. I-"

Andros was interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Gowon, you're going to have to order some more Zin."

Andros turned to the direction of the familiar voice. He couldn't believe who it was.

"Andros?" asked the person. It was Azel.

"Azel. I-I thought you were dead." Said Andros.

"You two should catch up. Azel, take a break. I'll go order some more Zin." Said Gowon as he left his seat, leaving it for Azel.

* * *

Ashley stood in her yellow prom dress in front of the mirror in the change room. She smiled in satisfaction. She had picked the right dress. She left the change room and showed it to her mother who agreed with Ashley's choice. Ashley couldn't help but feel a little sad, due to the absence of Cassie. She thought that she would be shopping for her prom dress with Cassie, not with her mother.

"Now we just need to find a date for you." Said her mother.

"That's been taken care of." Ashley replied.

"Who is it?" her mother asked curiously.

"You'll see. He's a good guy, so don't worry." Said Ashley.

* * *

Azel spent some time filling Andros in on what happened to her after they were separated on Onyx. She told him about how Zhane and brought her to Gowon and how his medic saved her life.

Andros filled her in on what happened to him. However, he left out the part where he found his people, to keep them safe. He could trust Azel, but he didn't want anyone to overhear.

"You look better." Said Azel.

"I am better." Said Andros.

"So things are good with Ashley then, huh?"

"Yeah." Said Andros.

They spent a moment in silence, before Andros spoke again. "I'm sorry I almost got you killed."

"Don't be. I'm not dead, but I would have been if you hadn't helped me get off Gekrinos." Said Azel.

"I'm just glad you're okay." Said Andros.

"Same here. I should get back to work." Said Azel.

"Yeah, I guess so. It was good to see you again." Said Andros as he stood up.

Azel also stood. "Likewise. And Andros, don't be too hard on yourself. You're a good guy. The universe is better off with you."

"I can't believe men on your planet wear such ridiculous things."

Andros was getting fitted for his tuxedo for Ashley's prom. Ashley came from a rich family, so she could easily afford to pay for the rental.

"You look great." Said Ashley.

Andros went back to change. "I'll make it up to you." Said Ashley, her voice a little louder so that Andros could hear from behind the change room.

* * *

Andros was in his quarters with Zel, discussing battle plans for the mission to intercept the army headed for Razios.

"We'll need two groups, the fighter wing and the Megaship." Said Zel.

"You can lead the wing. The Megaship will take care of the larger ships, and the fighter wing can take care of the escort ships." Said Andros.

"Are you sure Ashley won't mind you missing her event?" asked Zel.

"This is more important." Said Andros.

"You're lucky she's so forgiving." Said Zel.

"I already talked to Ashley about it. She understands." Said Andros.

"Alright. I'll make the necessary preparations."

Zel packed up the files and left, leaving Andros alone in his quarters.

* * *

The Megaship was in orbit of Razios, waiting for Darkonda's anti-rebellion army.

"They should be here any minute now." Said Andros.

"They had better. I'm hungry." Said Zel.

"I'm detecting ships coming out of hyperrush." Reported one of the officers on the bridge.

"I see them." Reported Zel.

Five large ships dropped out of hyperrush, as well as tens of fighters and smaller ships.

"Fighter group, hold off until we fire our salvos. Fire a spread of ATA missiles. The large ships are priority targets." Ordered Andros.

The fighters waited beside the Megaship as it fired every weapon it had. The smaller escort ships intercepted or collided into the lasers and the missiles, protecting the large ships.

"Fighter wing, advance." Ordered Andros.

"Roger." Zel replied.

"Target the closest ship and fire a full spread of vector drones." Ordered Andros.

The Megaship rumbled. The enemy ships were fighting back.

"Shields down to Eighty percent!" reported one of the officers.

"Bring us about. Prepare to fire on the next closest ship." Ordered Andros.

* * *

Ashley looked at herself in the mirror. She looked beautiful in her yellow prom dress, but was disappointed that Andros couldn't make it, since the prom was such a special moment for her.

She heard the door open and rushed downstairs. She saw Carlos come in, welcomed by her family.

"You both look great. We should take a picture before you go." Said Ashley's mother.

Ashley stood next to Carlos and forced a smile. She wanted to take a picture with Andros, not Carlos. She valued Carlos as a good, close friend, but, for that moment, for that occasion, she wanted Andros, and no one else.

"Have fun. Don't come home too late." Said Ashley's mother.

"Bye." Said Ashley and Carlos as they left.

* * *

"Shields down to thirty percent. We've got hull breaches on decks three and eight."

"Megaship, this is Zel. We've taken care of the escorts and are about to engage the transport ships."

"Negative. We'll take care of them. Just come back to the ship." Said Andros.

"Reom, load all offensive missiles and fire on my command." Ordered Andros.

"Missiles loaded." Reom Replied.

"Fire." Ordered Andros.

Andros and the crew watched the destruction of the remaining ships through the view screen.

"All enemy ships have been destroyed, and all wings are back on board."

"Set a course for Earth, maximum hyperrush." Andros ordered, while hoping that he wouldn't be late.

* * *

"Come on, Ash, smile. We're normal people doing normal things tonight." Carlos yelled, trying to be heard over the loud music.

Ashley couldn't help but crack a smile. She realized she was no longer normal. Normal no longer applied to her after the day she became a power ranger.

"This is the last dance of the night. So everyone, grab a partner and hit the dance floor." Said the DJ.

"Come on. You've been sitting here all night. You have to dance at least once. You're the cheery one of the group, so be cheery." Said Carlos. He stuck out his hand, waiting for Ashley to accept.

The music began to play, and Ashley sighed before taking Carlos's hand and walking with him to the dance floor.

"You sure Jen won't mind?" asked Ashley.

"I told her I'd make it up to her. Besides, you're my friend; she's just a girl that I have a crush on. So…" Carlos was cut off by an unexpected surprise.

"Mind if I cut in?" asked a familiar voice. Ashley recognized who it was immediately and turned around to see Andros, dressed up.

"You said you wouldn't be able to make it." Said Ashley.

"Well, I made it." Said Andros.

Carlos placed his hand on Ashley's shoulder. "Have fun." He said before walking away.

The two held each other and danced, ignoring everyone around them, just focused on each other.

* * *

A/N – Well, I hope you liked this chapter. I wanted to speed the timeline a bit and have Ashley and Carlos graduate almost. I'm finally done my school project, so, I've got more time to work on the fic. I was thinking one day, and I thought "clone." So, I wanted to bring in a clone element, but, I went back to previous chapters and saw that I couldn't fit it in without causing a loophole in the story.

I wanted things to look up for Andros, so I had him be reunited with Azel. Make him feel less guilty and all. As for the space battle, I needed something to keep Andros away for a while and have him be late.

I wanted to give the couple a romantic scene again, to make up for the lack of in previous chapters. Plus, its such a good opportunity.


	61. Invasion

It was a normal day for the crew of the Megaship. The crew was about, performing their duties to the best of their abilities. Andros however, was getting ready to go down to Earth. Today was the day of Ashley and Carlos's graduation ceremony.

"Manx, is the data burst ready for transmission?" asked Andros, who was on the bridge.

"Yes, sir." Manx replied.

"Send it." Andros ordered.

"Shouldn't you be getting ready?" asked Zel who had just come up to the bridge.

"I'm just finishing up here." Said Andros.

"Just go, Andros. We'll be fine. It's not like the ship is going to self-destruct." Said Zel.

Suddenly, the alarm rang.

"Multiple contacts dropping out of hyperrush!" reported an officer.

"Battlestations." Andros said loudly.

Zel repeated the order through the com. Everyone in the ship ran to their posts.

"I'm detecting over one thousand velocifighters and counting."

"You've got to be kidding me." Said Zel.

"Fire offensive missiles, full spread." Ordered Andros.

The Fire Control Officer complied, and fired the missiles at the oncoming velocifighters.

"Full contact." Reported the officer, informing the bridge that all missiles had accurately hit a target.

"Fire the second salvo, and launch all wings" Ordered Andros.

Zel was about to leave for the hangar bay, but was stopped by Andros. "Zel, I need you here. Let Tozra lead this time." Said Andros.

"Picking up another ship. It's the Dark Fortress."

The Dark Fortress had dropped out of hyperrush behind the velocifighters. It began to fire its weapons. The Megaship fired back.

"We've lost power. Switching to secondary power generators."

"Tell the wings to focus on any velocifighters that get past us." Ordered Andros.

"The Fortress is firing its ion cannon!"

The megaship rumbled violently. People fell out of their seats. Andros managed to hang on.

"Damage report." Andros requested.

"Shields down to Fourty percent. Hull breaches on decks three and four. We've lost hyperrush engines."

"We don't stand a chance." Andros heard Zel say. He knew she was right. This was a battle they could not win.

The ship rumbled again.

"We've lost life support."

The bridge looked like a battleground. There were fires, damaged consoles, smoke, and pressurized gases all around.

Andros sighed in defeat. He pressed some buttons on his console, and then stood up.

"Abandon ship." Ordered Andros. Everyone was silent, and looked back at Andros.

"Abandon ship. All hands, abandon ship." Deca ordered through the com.

"Go!" yelled Andros. Andros turned on the ship-wide com. "This is Andros. Land as close to sector five nine one as possible. Regroup and wait for myself of Zel."

The crew began to run. Andros rushed to the weapons station, then the helm.

"Andros, we have to leave!" said Zel, who had not yet left.

Andros sent a secret transmission to the Karovan fleet before setting the ship to autofire. He also set the ship on a collision course for the Dark Fortress.

"Go! I'll be right behind you." Said Andros.

Andros took one last look around the bridge. The Megaship had been his home for two years, and Deca had been his only companion.

"Another home lost." Andros whispered before leaving the bridge.

Zel ran towards the escape pods while Andros went in another direction. He ran towards the power vault and got the yellow morpher. Darkonda was going to launch a ground assault, and they needed all the help they could get.

Andros ran to the hangar bay and jumped into the salvaged velocifighter. He flew out of the ship, not looking back as it flew directly towards the Dark Fortress.

He did however, watch as some of the velocifighter began to shoot down some of the escape pods headed to Earth.

Andros engaged the velocifighters, protecting his crew, and providing them with enough time to escape to the planet's surface. The velocifighters were confused at first since Andros was attacking them from within a velocifighter. Eventually, they figured out what was happening and targeted Andros. Andros dodged their shots while descending into the atmosphere.

As Andros and the escapes pods descended into the atmosphere, the Megaship was charging towards the Dark Fortress at maximum speed, firing every weapon it had along the way. The ship collided with the Fortress. The explosion caused a massive wave, destroying some of the nearby velocifighters, and the Dark Fortress sustained some damage, but no where near enough to cripple it, let alone destroy it.

Transport ships launched from the Fortress and flew towards Earth, escorted by velocifighters. Darkonda had finally come to invade Earth.

* * *

The bright sun blinded Ashley as she looked up into the sky. Her graduation ceremony was about to start and Andros was nowhere to be seen.

"He's still not here?" asked Carlos, who was sitting on her right.

Ashley shook her head. The ceremony was outside, under the bright and hot sun. There were five enlarged pictures of students at the front; of student who had died during the school year. Cassie and T.J.'s pictures were two of the students.

Ashley couldn't believe it. She was finally graduating. She was going to move on from high school life. She was growing up. She was about to experience change. It felt thrilling and wonderful, but still a little scary. These emotions reminded her of Andros's promise to always be there for her, but, he wasn't around. She had an uneasy feeling in her stomach because of her worrying.

The band began to play, signaling that the ceremony had begun. Suddenly, the music stopped. The band looked up into the sky, behind Ashley and Carlos. Everyone turned to see what the band as well as the people on stage were looking at. It was Velocifighters.

Several of them were descending towards the area where the ceremony was taking place. They were still far away, but still very visible.

"Everybody run!" Carlos yelled.

Everyone complied and began to run; screaming and pushing to get away to safety, creating chaos. Carlos ran to a safe spot to morph, while Ashley had not moved. She stayed in the same spot and looked around for her family.

"Mom! Dad! Jeff!" Ashley screamed out in every direction. She didn't see them. The velocifighters were closing in, forcing Ashley to run for cover.

Surprisingly, the velocifighters did not attack. They simply flew past the crowd and headed southeast, toward the downtown area.

* * *

"Get those turrets ready!" Colonel Johnson screamed.

He was giving out orders to prepare for the defense of Nasada Spaceport. The civilian scientists were taken to the underground bunker to hide.

"Get those birds in the air!" Colonel Johnson ordered.

There were five fighters at the Spaceport for multiple purposes. There were also some anti-air turrets as well. The Spaceport had minimal defense, since it was on American soil.

"Incoming!" screamed a soldier. Everyone looked up and saw alien fighters flying towards them.

"Open fire!" Colonel Johnson ordered. The fighters took off and engaged the velocifighters, but they were outnumbered.

The velocifighters easily defeated the fighters and fired at the ground troops, destroying the turrets and killing some of the soldiers.

"Retreat!" Colonel Johnson ordered. He knew the battle was lost, and didn't want soldiers to die in vain.

* * *

"Master, reports are coming in. Many of the planet's leaders have surrendered, and ground troops have landed. They are ready for ground assaults." Reported Ecliptor.

"Excellent. Begin phase two." Ordered Darkonda as he looked at the Earth from the observation deck.

"We've also received word from the production facility on Teonas that the Quantrons have become operational again."

Darkonda turned around. "The disruptor must have been on the Megaship, or somewhere on Earth. Tell the facility to send all of the Quantrons. They'll make this invasion much easier."

"Yes, master."

* * *

A/N – So, new chapter, finally. So we've finally come to the end of the fanfic, well, just about. Got a chapter or three left before we're done.

I've had the Megaship destruction scene in my head since like the conception of this fic. For me, it gave me that sense of doom, defeat, loss of hope, which is what I wanted, since, well, its kind of a climax. Now that the Megaship has been destroyed, the Quantrons are operational again, and they'll be making an appearance. So far, Piranhatrons and hired help have been the ones doing the work.


	62. Failure

JLSF – The Megaship was getting its butt kicked, and they lost life support. Can't work on the bridge if you can't breathe. As for the Megazord, I rejected the idea of the megazord when I first wrote the fic. If I had kept Megazords in the fic, there would have been some Megazord fight scenes. Megazords and the tower-tall aliens are…kinda stupid. Plus I hate the zord scenes in PR. I know they're an essential part of the show, but, still. As for the late prom thing, it was an idea in my head that didn't work itself out. I kinda wanted Ashley to be disappointed, and then surprised, like in the movies. Didn't exactly work out as I wanted. Ashley's lost right now. She's experienced trauma with Cassie and T.J.'s deaths, and she doesn't want to have to deal with it again, which is why she said no. I don't like Rocky, but I don't dislike him. As for the 1000 fighters, PRIS had 1K fighters as well. I did read your comment from before, and I took it as constructive criticism, not "you suck so much you should die."

* * *

Karone and Zhane arrived together on the bridge of the Survivor.

"What's going on, Admiral?" asked Zhane.

The Admiral turned around to face the two rangers. "We received this transmission from Andros a few minutes ago." Said the Admiral.

He turned around and ordered the communications officer on the bridge to play the transmission. Everyone looked at the viewscreen.

It was Andros. Sparks were flying in the background which was the bridge of the Megaship. There was also steam venting in. "The Dark Fortress has come to Earth with at least one thousand velocifighters. We've taken heavy damage and I've ordered the crew to evacuate the ship. We'll try to make contact again after we get to the ground. Andros out."

"We have to go help them." Said Karone.

"We don't have the power to stop the Dark Fortress." Said the Admiral.

"Admiral, let Karone and myself go help Andros and the others on Earth. You don't need rangers in space. We're best on the ground." Pleaded Zhane.

The Admiral took a moment to make up his decision. "You're going to need a way to get to the planet's surface without being detected." Said the Admiral.

"What about the stealth module?" asked Zhane.

"It's just a prototype. It hasn't been field tested yet." Said the Admiral.

"Now is a good time to test it, sir." Said Zhane.

"We'll wait for Andros to make contact. If he doesn't make contact in two hours, you two can go." Said the Admiral.

* * *

People from the graduation ceremony were running to their cars so that they could flee. Ashley ran up to the podium so that she'd have a better view of the crowd, making it easier to spot her parents.

"Ashley!"

Ashley turned to the source of the call and found her parents and brother standing in the open field, calling her name. Ashley immediately rushed over to her family.

"We have to get out of here." Said her mother.

"But the roads are blocked." Said Jeff, Ashley's brother. The mass panic and exodus of the park resulted in a traffic jam similar to the streets of L.A. during rush hour.

"We need to get to safety. We need to go hide; somewhere in the mountains, or a bunker or something." Said Ashley.

"We need supplies. We need food, and water." Said Ashley's father.

"We do-"

Ashley was interrupted by an explosion in the traffic jam. People screamed and began to run away from the explosion. It took moments for the smoke to clear enough to reveal Piranhatrons on the other side. The people ran away from the Piranhatrons and towards Ashley and her family.

"We need to run. Now!" said Ashley. She led her family across the grassy field of her school.

Ashley looked back at the Piranhatrons and saw a green figure fighting them. She immediately realized that it was Carlos.

"Carlos." She whispered.

"Ashley, come on. We have to go." Said Jeff.

"I'm not going with you." Said Ashley.

"What are talking about?" asked her mother.

"Mom. I'm not going with you. I'm going to go help the green ranger." Said Ashley.

"That's nonsense. You can't help him. Besides, he's fighting so that we can escape." Said her father.

"I can't leave him to fight them all by himself." Said Ashley.

"You can't help him, Ashley. You're not a ranger." Said her mother.

"I am a ranger!" said Ashley.

"What are you talking about?" asked her father.

"I'm a power ranger, dad. Or at least, I was." Ashley said, calmly, amongst the chaos.

"You can't be. You're just a child. You're my child." Said her mother.

"Mom! I'm not a child anymore. Please. You have to let me go." Said Ashley.

"No! You're my daughter. I don't want to lose you. I don't want you to end up like Cassie and T.J." Said her mother.

Those words stung Ashley's heart and sent a chill down her spine.

"Mom…"

Ashley felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see who it was. It was Kat, in her Zeo ranger suit.

"Go. Get your family to safety. We'll hold them off." She said.

Ashley looked past Kat and saw the other four Zeo rangers fighting the Piranhatrons, and then looked back at Kat.

"Go." Kat repeated. Ashley hesitated for a moment for before complying. She ran with her family, but a part of her wanted to stay and help fight. It was that part of her that she was trying to run away from; the part that was traumatized by the loss of her two dead friends.

* * *

James Dean was in the Presidential bunker. He worked for the white house, in the communications department. He was responsible for relaying messages to and from the President. He was one of the many people taken down to the bunker when the attacks began.

James ran down the corridor, yelling at people to get out of the way. He finally stopped in front of a room with a glass wall and door. The room was well lit and had a round table, as well as ten black, leather seats, each of them occupied by someone. He knocked on the glass, and all heads in the room turned to him. The President gave James a nod, giving him permission to come in.

"What is it, James?" asked the President.

"Sir. It's Chicago. The aliens have taken out Chicago." James reported.

"What do you mean they've taken out Chicago?" asked the President.

"It's been completely destroyed. It's nothing but a crater." James clarified.

Gasps were heard around the room.

"How long until the package gets delivered?" the President asked one of the men sitting around the table.

"All of the nuclear missiles have been intercepted, sir." Reported one of the General

"This might be one war we cannot win." Said the President, in a defeated tone.

* * *

Andros landed in the area he had ordered his crew to land in. It was a mountainous region, near Angel Grove and Nasada Spaceport. He got out of his velocifighter and was immediately greeted by Zel and most of the crew that had abandoned ship.

"Is this everyone?" asked Andros, looking around to see the survivors.

"There are fourteen unaccounted for. I don't think they made it." Zel reported.

"What supplies do we have?" asked Andros.

"The usual guns and rations. We've got enough food and water to last us a week at most. We've also got enough weapons to arm everyone here with two blaster rifles and four replacements. We've got some equipment we can use to make more weapons, as well as things we need to set up a base of operations. We've also got three power generators, and medical supplies. We cannibalized as much of the escape pods as we could before destroying them. We left three pods intact, just in case." Answered Zel.

"Good. I'm going to need to contact the fleet." Said Andros.

Zel led Andros to the three remaining escape pods as some of the crew broke off branches and used them to cover the velocifighter.

Andros entered the escape pod and accessed the communications control. He began broadcasting on a secured channel.

"Survivor, come in. Survivor, come in. This is Captain Andros, special Ranger ops." Said Andros, trying to establish communications with the fleet.

Zel stood nearby, waiting to see if Andros would get a response.

"It's no use. The fleet must be out of range." Said Andros from inside the pod.

"I'm going to try to make contact with Carlos." Said Andros before doing so.

"No word from him either. Maybe Darkonda has some sort of communications disruptor in place."

"So what now?" asked Zel.

"We need to secure a base of operations." Said Andros.

"Already on it. I sent a couple of teams to look for caves. Shouldn't be too hard in this kind of terrain." Said Zel.

"Good. I'm going to take a team and go to Nasada Spaceport." Said Andros.

"What about Ashley?" asked Zel.

"I flew by her school earlier. There was signs of an attack, but no signs of Ashley." Said Andros, in a defeated tone.

"I can hold the line if you want to go look for her." Said Zel.

"Later. Right now, we need all the help we can get, and help is at Nasada. After we scout there, I'm going to go look for the other rangers, and Ashley." Said Andros. Andros wanted to go look for Ashley, but setting up a base and a resistance group was first priority. He just hoped that Ashley would be safe.

* * *

Zhane arrived on the bridge of the Survivor. "It's been two hours." He said.

The Admiral turned around. "Yes, it has been two hours, and Andros still hasn't made contact. You and Karone can go. I want a situation report as soon as possible." Said the Admiral.

"Yes, sir." Said Zhane, before running to the hangar bay.

* * *

Ashley and her family had been running for a while. They were tired, hungry, and still scared.

"We need to take a break." Said Ashley's mother, as she slowed down and tried to catch her breath.

Ashley and her family were in the middle of a bridge. It was about fifteen meters above the river that flowed underneath.

"We have to keep moving." Said Ashley.

"We should rest, for a bit. If we go on without taking a break, we'll just end up injuring ourselves." Said Ashley's father.

The Hammond family agreed to take a short break in the middle of the bridge. Ashley took this time to take off her graduation gown. Her hat had been lost somewhere during the run. She sat on the sidewalk and leaned against the railings of the bridge. Her brother sat next to her.

"So, you're really a power ranger?" asked Jeff.

"I was." Answered Ashley.

"What do you mean, was?"

"I quit."

"Why?"

"It's complicated."

Ashley looked right, to the area where she and her family were running towards, and saw Piranhatrons.

"Oh no." said Ashley. Her family looked towards the other side of the bridge and saw the Piranhatrons as well.

Ashley looked the other way and saw Piranhatrons coming from the other end. They were trapped.

"What do we do?" asked Jeff.

Ashley realized that she had to sacrifice herself to save her family.

"Mom, dad, Jeff, you're going to run while I hold them off. Don't for me, just run." Ordered Ashley.

"No. Absolutely not. We are not letting you sacrifice yourself for us." Said her mother.

"Mom, there's no other choice. I'll be ok. I'll join you and find you as soon as I can, but for now, just go without me." Said Ashley.

"No. I won't." said Ashley's teary-eyed mother.

"Mom! Just go!" Ashley yelled. "Please, just go. I'll be fine."

Ashley received a tight hug from her mother.

"When I give the word, run." Said Ashley, as she watched the Piranhatrons get closer.

Ashley ran towards the Piranhatrons in front of her and her family. "Go!" she yelled.

Her family ran as Ashley fought off the Piranhatrons. She pushed them away, creating some space between the Piranhatrons and the bridge railing, giving her family space to run. Her family ran through the space while Ashley blocked the Piranhatrons.

Ashley thought she could hold them off long enough for her family to run away, but she was wrong. Ashley was overwhelmed by the Piranhatrons. They fought back, kicking her. Some ran after her family.

"Watch out!" Ashley screamed, trying to warn her family.

It was too late. The Piranhatrons caught her family. Ashley tried to get to her family, but the Piranhatrons restrained her. She fought back, kicking and screaming. One Piranhatrons kicked her in the chest, causing her to fly back and go over the railing.

"Ashley!" her mother cried out.

Ashley watched as the bridge got farther away from her. She felt terrible for failing to save her family. She was afraid of what would happen to her family. She hoped that Andros would be able to save her family. She then thought of Andros. She wondered if he was alive, or dead, before she hit the ice cold water of the river.

* * *

A/N- Shocking? Ashley just fell 15m into a river. I didn't want to say NYC got blown up cause of 9-11. NYC attacks are kinda taboo now. I wrote this chapter, and then I set it aside for a couple of days before reading it again for an edit.

In the show, Zhane goes back to Earth, and so, this is how I'm getting him back to Earth. And since Karone's a ranger, she's coming along for the ride.

Andros and his crew are on Earth now, but they can't contact the fleet, so, they're kind of alone in the fight against Darkonda.

This is kind of an emotional chapter for Ashley. People die, Darkonda invades Earth, she's powerless, oh, and of course, her family gets captured by Piranhatrons while she's falling into a river.

There's more I want to say about Ashley's current struggle, but I'll just mention it when the appropriate time comes.

Hope you liked this chapter. If not, then….hope I get it right next chapter.

I haven't written enough of the next chapter yet, so I can't give you a preview yet. JLSF, this chapter long enough for ya?


	63. Survivors

A/N – 100,00 words! I've been thinking about writing a time travel/alternate reality fic of PRIS. I was watching V, the new show on ABC, and I thought it would be cool to take that idea and do a spin. It would be a little dark too. Not sure if I would kill lots of people off, but, I wouldn't kill everyone. And by kill lots of people I also mean random filler characters, or wiped out cities kinda kill, not so much kill Cassie or kill Andros. But I might not kill any good guys off at all. I think it might be as dark or darker than this fic, but, who knows. It might be less dark. But of course, it would end happily. I'm a fan of happy endings, and its power rangers, so, the least I could do is have a happy ending. Not to mention, I wouldn't want to do that to the readers, leave them with a sad ending. I've been thinking more, and I'm gonna make Ashley very different. She'll be very dark, like Andros is this fic, possibly darker. I mean c'mon. That would be interesting. A dark Ashley…who eventually lightens up of course. What do you think? There's a teaser at the end of this chapter for your reading pleasure, as well as a synopsis.

JLSF – No Zords in this fic. I hate zords. Glad you liked the previous chapter.

Jusea – The show was created for a younger audience. I like the dark stuff in tv. I like more realism. There's no way you can somehow destroy all evil in the galaxy by killing a guy in a tube. I took the characters from the show and added a HUGE dose of realism, which resulted in faults, imperfections, etc. Of course, with Andros, they only thing Andros about him is his love for Ashley.

Harmonator62 – nice of you to review…and to read my fic. I didn't think I could even get to chapter 20, but here I am, at chapter 63. My writing skills suck, so, I haven't been writing as descriptively. I will keep your words in mind, though. When you say super morpher, do you mean the battlizer? I don't think I'll have that in there, but I'll take a look into it before making a final decision. Any other requests?

* * *

"Master, most of the planet's nations, including the most powerful one, have surrendered." Ecliptor reported.

He and Darkonda were on the bridge, commanding the many armies of Piranhatrons, giving them orders to destroy and capture cities. Ecliptor stood across Darkonda. A glowing table projecting a holographic image of Earth stood between the two.

"Good. Any encounters with the rangers?" asked Darkonda.

"In Angel Grove, master. They were overrun, but the Piranhatrons failed to capture or kill them." Ecliptor reported.

"Search and destroy. Let me know when the entire planet has surrendered. How are the repairs to the power generator?"

"Repairs are progressing, but the cannon will not be operational for some time." Ecliptor reported.

"Progress reports from the others?" asked Darkonda.

"The Machine Empire has begun its campaign on Eltar. Rita and Zedd have conquered the planet Vica. Divatox is in orbit of Gratha, ready to send her army as soon as the ninth battalion arrives in orbit." Ecliptor reported.

"When are the Quantrons expected to arrive?" asked Darkonda.

"By tomorrow." Answered Ecliptor.

"Allocate the Quantrons accordingly. I want Angel Grove secured. Once the Quantrons have arrived, send a quarter of our Piranhatrons back to Divatox." Ordered Darkonda.

"Yes master."

* * *

Andros led a team of ten soldiers on foot to Nasada Spaceport. They hiked for an hour, until they finally reached Nasada, or at least, what was left of it.

Andros looked at the pile of rubble which was formerly the spaceport. There were little fires all around, as well as some bodies lying around. "Search for any survivors." He ordered.

The team fanned out in pairs and began to look around the area. Andros immediately found Colonel Johnson and rushed over to him.

Andros checked the Colonel's pulse to see if he was alive. It was faint, but there. Andros pulled out his scanner and scanned the Colonel's body to see where he was injured.

"Medic!" Andros called out. A young woman with a kit rushed over to the Colonel's side, opposite of Andros.

"Internal bleeding, multiple fractures." The Medic reported. She opened her kit and pulled out a syringe filled with a yellow liquid. She injected the liquid into the Colonel's arm.

"That should slow the bleeding, but we need to get him back to base and treat him." Said the medic.

"Over here!" yelled a soldier.

"Get Wrezra to help you." Andros ordered before going to the other soldier.

"What have you found, Mex?" asked Andros.

"This hatch, sir." Answered Mex. There was a square plate of metal on the ground the size of a manhole cover. The handle had been torn off by the damage to the facility.

"I'm detecting several lifeforms below." Said Mex.

Andros morphed into the red ranger and summoned his Spiral Saber.

"Stand back." Andros ordered. Mex took a few steps back and waited to see what Andros was going to do.

Andros lifted his saber, with the drill part pointed down, towards the hatch. The drill began to spin rapidly before Andros slammed it down onto the hatch door, puncturing it and creating a hole. He then stuck his right hand in the hole and grabbed onto the hatch and opened it.

"This is the red ranger. Come on out. It's safe." He said.

There was no response. Andros decided to go down into the bunker to look for people. It was a short climb down. Once below, Andros immediately found some of the survivors. Two soldiers stood in front of him, with their weapons pointed at him.

As soon as they realized Andros was an ally, they lowered their guns. "How many are there?" asked Andros.

"Fifty-four." Answered one of the guards.

"Bring them up." Andros ordered before heading back up to the surface.

Once Andros reached the surface, he demorphed and ordered his team to help the people climbing up from the bunker.

Andros went to see if any more survivors had been found. Aside from the civilians in the bunker, only ten soldiers, including Colonel Johnson, were found alive.

Once the civilians were out of the bunker, Andros led the group back the way they came. Two of the members of Andros's scout team carried Colonel Johnson while a medic watched over him. He was in the worst shape out of the injured soldiers.

* * *

Karone sat nervously in her seat as she waited for her ship to arrive in Earth. She had Zhane were piloting the prototype stealth ship, on a course for Earth. They wanted to make contact with Andros, if he was even alive.

"I'm sure he's fine." Said Zhane.

Karone looked at Zhane. Zhane looked back at her. "It's Andros. It's going to take more than a big scary ship to kill him."

Karone smiled lightly. "Yeah. You're right. I just can't help but worry though."

"You're his sister. It's just a natural thing to do."

"I'm glad you're here with me." Said Karone, grabbing his hand.

"No problem." Said Zhane.

* * *

Andros, his team, and the survivors from the attack on Nasada Spaceport safely arrived at their point of departure. From there, they were led to the recently established base of operations by one of the officers. It was in a large cave in the mountainous area. The ceiling was about fifteen feet high, and lit by artificial lights, made from the salvaged parts of the escape pods. There were also some randomly placed crystallized cones scattered throughout the cave.

Medical teams and other personnel guided the survivors and injured to an area deeper inside the cave while Andros went to speak to Zel.

He found Zel standing in front of three holographic screens, set up on a platform sevent feet from the main level of the cave. There was a little rock stairway on the side that led up to the platform, which Andros took to get up onto the platform.

"Situation report." Said Andros.

Zel turned around and faced Andros. "We're setting up base, so we're barely operational. The Infirmary and Amory have been set up deeper into the cave. Still no contact with the fleet. I've got Azi and Vos working on getting us past that disruptor signal.

"Good. Pretty good location, too." Said Andros.

"How many survivors did you manage to find?"

"Around sixty." Andros answered.

"I'll get a team to hunt for food and water." Said Zel.

"I'm going to take another team out to go look for Ashley and the other rangers." Said Andros.

"Good hunting." Said Zel.

* * *

Zhane felt nervous. The stealth ship was about to drop out of hyperrush, and Zhane didn't know what to expect. He didn't know if the ship would be detected and destroyed, or if he would be able to fly by unnoticed. The ship was after all, an untested prototype.

"You ready?" asked Zhane.

"Ready." Karone replied.

"Dropping out in five, four, three, two, one."

The stealth ship dropped out of hyperrush in orbit of Earth, overlooking Russia.

"Turn off the lights." Ordered Zhane.

Karone complied and turned off the lights. The stealth ship, which had a black hull, was no longer illuminated, and therefore, nearly impossible to see.

"Any movement?" asked Zhane.

"Nothing. I guess the stealth technology is working." Said Karone.

"How many ships within visual range?" asked Zhane.

"Just one. Most of the velocifighters must be on Earth or the fortress." Said Karone.

"Try making contact with Andros."

Karone accessed the communications controls. "Megaship base, come in."

They waited for a response, but there was none. Karone tried one more time, but failed.

"You don't think…" Zhane began to say.

"No." Karone interrupted. "I think it might be a signal disruptor. The fortress has one. It was used…during the attack on KO-35."

"Is the disruptor deep within the fortress?" asked Zhane.

"Near the power generators, so, very deep." Answered Karone.

"We should land outside of Angel Grove. From there we can search by foot." Said Zhane.

"How do you know if Andros will be there?" asked Karone.

"He'll go there because Ashley is there, as well the Zeo rangers. He'll probably set up base in the mountains, where it's harder to be found." Said Zhane.

"How do you know this?" asked Karone.

"I know Andros. And, it's what I would do if I were in his position." Answered Zhane.

"Let's go." Said Karone.

* * *

Carlos and the Zeo rangers hid behind piles of wood, metal, and garbage. They waited for the Piranhatron patrol squad to leave the area before coming out of the pile of junk.

"That stinks." Said Tanya

The six rangers were hiding under a bridge near the edge of the city. They had been unsuccessful in defending the city. Most of the people of Angel Grove had been taken prisoner. The rangers barely managed to escape the attack at the graduation ceremony.

"Come on. We have to keep moving." Said Tommy.

"Where will we go?" asked Kat.

"We need to rescue those people." Said Adam.

"We don't have the manpower to save them. We're outnumbered, and trying something would probably end badly." Said Jason.

"Are you okay?" Tanya asked Carlos, who had a worried look on his face.

"I'm just worried about Ashley. I hope she and her family made it to safety." Said Carlos.

"I'm sure she did. She can take care of herself." Said Kat, trying to cheer up Carlos.

They rangers heard some noise nearby. Tommy signaled the rangers to hide. They hid back under the pile.

"Sir, I don't see any sign of them." Said a man.

"They're here somewhere. Communications might be down, but the scanners are still working." Said a voice which sounded familiar to Carlos.

"That sounds like Andros." Carlos whispered to Tommy.

"Carlos?" the familiar voice called out, not too loudly to avoid detection.

Carlos knew for certain that it was Andros. Carlos got out of the pile of junk. He immediately recognized Andros. He was with ten Karovan officers. Their uniforms gave away their Karovan origin, as well as their blaster rifles.

"Come on out. It's safe." Carlos said to the other rangers.

The Zeo rangers emerged from hiding. They weren't too happy to see Andros, considering what he did to T.J.

"We need to go, now." Said Andros.

"We can't leave the people. We need to save them." Said Tommy.

"We need to have a plan before we attempt a rescue. Right now, you're outmatched to pull off a rescue mission." Said Andros. "We'll regroup and then rescue those civilian prisoners."

The Zeo rangers reluctantly agreed to leave Angel Grove for the time being. They followed Andros and his team out of town, narrowly avoiding detection from the Piranhatrons.

* * *

"Medic!" a Karovan soldier called out from the entrance of the cave. Another soldier ran ahead of him to look for a medical team.

"Medic!" he called out again. He was a tall, athletic soldier who was carrying an unconscious woman in his arms. She was soaking wet.

A medical team arrived and scanned the woman's body to see what was wrong with her. Among the team was a blonde woman, who looked to be in her late twenties. She was the doctor among the crew.

"Hypothermia, minimal brain damage. Let's get her to the infirmary. Be careful." Ordered the doctor.

The soldier carried the woman carefully to the Infirmary, and then placed her on a bed where the medics did their best to heal her.

"What's going on?" asked Zel. She had just heard about the injured woman and came to get a report from the soldier.

"Gias and I found her, commander, in the water." Reported the soldier.

Zel took a look to see who the woman was. Her eyes widened in shock. It was Ashley.

* * *

A/N – Well, now we know where Ashley is.

So, Survivors. Makes sense, right? I want to bring the survivors together so that they can work on liberating the planet. The Megaship crew needed a new base, since the ship was destroyed. They also need allies, so they went to Nasada, and they also found the Zeo rangers. I think I originally wanted Andros to find Ashley, but, I went the route I went. So, I hope I'm really stepping up with these past two chapters or so.

So, this new fanfic idea involves time travel, which results in an alternate reality. So, Cassie and T.J. aren't dead, the characters are totally different, especially Ashley, and uh...well, its dark. It's kinda like time travel/alternate reality plot device meets terminator meets Power Rangers In Space.

Synopsis: Andros arrives in an altered timeline, where Darkonda rules the galaxy, and Astronema is his top general. The power rangers are not hereos, but terrorists to the people of Earth. Andros and the rangers must restore the timeline before humanity is destroyed.

Here's a teaser for a possible fanfic. It's inspired by the new show, "V"

* * *

Andros kept trying to free his hands which were bound by rope. His legs were also bound to the chair he was sitting on. There was only one light in the room, and it hung directly above Andros, shining down on him. He was visible, but the rest of the room was dark.

He heard the door open and also heard foot steps.

"Who are you?" asked a familiar voice.

"Where am I?" asked Andros. He was punched from the left side of his face.

"Who are you?" asked the voice again, this time, he recognized it.

"Ashley?" Andros received another punch, this time from the right

"Who are you?!" this time, the voice was a little louder, but definitely angry.

"Andros! It's me, Andros!"

"Where did you get your morpher?" Andros realized that he was missing his morpher. He couldn't feel it on his wrist.

"Where's my morpher?" he asked. He was punched again. A trickle of blood ran down the end of his lip.

The interrogator leaned in and showed herself. It was Ashley. Andros couldn't believe it. But she was a bit different. Her hair was longer, and her eyes…full of anger and hate. But Andros still saw some of her humanity in her eyes. He saw the kind, compassionate Ashley he fell in love with. The Ashley he was going to marry.

"How do you know my name?" asked Ashley.

"How could I not? We've known each other for years. We're-"

"I've never seen you until today." Ashley interrupted.

* * *

Did you like that little teaser?


	64. Words

A/N – I've been thinking more about that other AU fic, and right now I'm having difficulty with how I'm gonna portray the bad guys. I'm also considering the possibility of a parallel universe instead of an alternate reality.

JLSF – You misread. The doctor is in her twenties. I know Ashley's still in high school. After all, I wrote scenes of Ashley being in high school in this fic. I will address the Zords next chapter. BTW, how did you like my teaser? It's a possible sequel/stand alone AU fic I'm got working in development in my head. I'm still working on trying to explain or even incorporate zords into the fic.

Harmonator62 – I don't think I'll be including the battlizer. The Zords alone are giving me a massive headache, and I can't seem to think of a way to make the battlizer necessary in the plot. However, my original idea was to have Andros's morpher get damaged during the psycho rangers saga and have him get a new morpher with battlizer power, but that didn't happen. ^^"

* * *

"How much further?" asked Adam. He was tired from the uphill hike to the base.

"We're almost there." Said Andros.

Carlos sped up enough to get close to Andros. "Have you found Ashley yet?" he asked

"No." answered Andros. "Do you have any idea where she might be?"

"Not sure. The Piranhatrons attacked the school and I went to fight them off. I saw Ashley run off with her family, and that's the last I saw of her." Carlos explained.

"We should look at a map of the region and then try to figure out where she may have gone." Suggested Andros.

"So what happened to the Megaship? And what about the rest of the planet?" asked Carlos.

"The Megaship was destroyed. I'll explain everything else when we get to base." Said Andros.

* * *

"How is she?" asked Zel.

"She's fine. She needs to rest for now. We need to keep those thermal blankets on her though." The doctor informed Zel.

"She's tough. She'll pull through." Said Zel.

"Commander." Called out an officer that had just come into the Infirmary.

"What is it?" asked Zel.

"The Captain is back. He's brought back the Earth rangers." Reported the officer.

"Alright. Where's Andros?" asked Zel.

"Command, sir."

* * *

Andros and Carlos were on the command platform, standing in front a view screen displaying a map. They were looking at the region of Angel Grove, near the school.

"Okay, she went northwest." Said Carlos as he traced an invisible line northwest from his school.

"Given the amount of time since the attack," the view screen displayed a grid near the edge of town. "She should be within this area, assuming she was on foot. If she had transportation, the search grid would be much wider." Said Andros.

"Andros!" Zel called out from behind. Both Andros and Carlos turned around.

"Good to see you again, Carlos." Said Zel.

"You too." Said Carlos.

"What is it?" asked Andros.

"There's someone you should see, in the Infirmary." Said Zel.

* * *

Zhane and Karone landed their stealth ship outside of Angel Grove, in the mountainous terrain. The sunlight was nearly gone, and it was almost fully dark. They hid the ship by activating its camouflage, which changed the color of the ship, making it blend with its surrounding.

Zhane pulled out his scanner. "I'm picking up some ionic activity north of here." He said. "It's faint, but it's there."

The two rangers walked north, under the hot sun, towards the source of the ionic activity.

"It's half a zayon from here." Said Zhane.

As they walked, they heard faint sounds of footsteps and conversation coming from the front, past the curve on the mountain path. Zhane raised his right arm, signaling Karone to stop. They backed up against the rock wall and drew their blasters. They waited for the footsteps to get closer.

Zhane and Karone continued along their path, slowly, with their backs still against the wall.

"I wonder what the food on his planet is like." Said a female voice.

"Hopefully it's better than the stuff we ate on the Megaship." Said a male voice.

"We should just go back. We're not going to find anything in the dark. We'll try again tomorrow." Said the female voice.

Zhane and Karone realized that they were friendly.

"Echo." Zhane said loudly, enough for them to hear.

There was a moment of silence.

"Theta." Said the male voice.

"Zhane, silver, Survivor."

"Taris, Major, Megaship." Said Taris, the male voice.

"They're friendly." Zhane said to Karone before moving at a faster pace. Zhane and Karone passed the curve and saw two soldiers, one male, and one female.

"Good to see you, sir." Said Taris.

"Good to know you guys are alive. Where's Andros?"

"At base camp, sir." Said the female.

"Take us there."

* * *

"How is she?" asked Andros. He sat next to Ashley and held her hand.

"She's fine. She just needs a day or two to rest." Said the doctor.

"Okay, thanks." Zel said to an officer that had just arrived in the Infirmary.

Andros looked to Zel. "What is it?" he asked.

"Zhane and Karone are here. A patrol found them and brought them here." Zel informed him.

Andros looked at Carlos, which Carlos understood to be Andros's way of telling him to watch over Ashley. Carlos took Andros's seat, and watched over Ashley while Andros went with Zel to greet the newly arrived rangers.

* * *

Zhane and Karone looked around the cave. They had never seen such a base before. Considering the lack of supplies and equipment, it was pretty impressive.

"Zhane! Karone!" Andros called out.

He greeted them both with hugs.

"I missed you." Said Karone. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. How did you guys find us?" asked Andros.

"I know how you think." Said Zhane.

"So, what brings you here?" asked Andros.

"We tried to make contact, but the Dark Fortress's communications disruptor was jamming our signal. The Admiral wants us to report back as soon as possible." Said Zhane.

"How do you plan doing that with the disruptor jamming our transmissions?" asked Andros.

"We came here on a stealth ship. We'll fly away far enough to be out of the disruptor's range. Then we'll make contact with the fleet and debrief the Admiral." Said Zhane.

"Sounds like a plan." Said Andros.

"Excuse me, sir." Said an officer who came up to the three rangers.

"Yes?"

"The Earth rangers are requesting to speak with you. They're in the Infirmary." Said the officer.

"I'll be right there." Said Andros. "Talk to Zel. She if she needs help with set up or anything. I'll see you soon."

* * *

The Zeo rangers stood near Ashley's bed, watching over her while waiting for Andros.

"You wanted to speak to me?"

The rangers turned around and faced Andros. "Yeah. What are we doing waiting around? We should be rescuing the people." Said Jason.

"We need a plan. We need weapons. We need a place to hide the people after we rescue them, because if we rescue the people and just leave them in Angel Grove, Darkonda's just going to have the city destroyed, along with everyone in it." Said Andros.

"So what do we do then?" asked Tommy.

"We strategize. I'm go-"

"Mom!" Ashley screamed as she shot up. She supported herself with her left arm. Andros rushed over to her side. Carlos, being kind, got out of his seat so that Andros could have it.

"Ashley." Said Andros.

Ashley was still a bit disoriented. It took a moment, but Ashley managed to focus. She looked around to see where she was. She saw a rock wall, as well as Andros, Carlos, and the Zeo rangers.

Ashley looked at Andros. "Andros." She said.

"Ashley. Are you okay?" asked Andros.

"Andros, we have to go save them." Said Ashley.

"Save who?"

"My family. They were taken by Piranhatrons." Ashley began to cry.

"I-I couldn't protect them." She cried.

Ashley wrapped her arms around Andros and sobbed.

"We'll save them. I promise." Andros whispered.

Tommy decided that it was best to continue the conversation later and suggested to his team that they leave.

* * *

Andros and Zhane sat in the cockpit of the stealth ship. They were in orbit above Earth, getting ready to jump to hyperrush.

"Are you sure they won't detect us?" asked Andros.

"They shouldn't. We weren't detected when we dropped out around here." Said Zhane.

"Alright then. Punch it." Ordered Andros.

Zhane activated the hyperrush, sending the stealth ship away from Earth. The ship dropped out of hyperrush in orbit of Mars. They didn't need to go far; just enough to get out of the disruptor signal's range.

"Try it now." Said Zhane.

"Survivor, Andros. Come in." Said Andros.

"Survivor, receiving. We hear you loud and clear. Go for visual." Said a female voice on the other end.

Zhane activated the visual communicator. A small screen on the controls displayed the Admiral, as well as the bridge of the Survivor in the background.

"Good to see you two." Said the Admiral.

"Good to see you too, sir." Said Andros.

"Status report." Said the Admiral.

"The Megaship has been destroyed, sir. We've set up base on the planet. From what we can tell, the Alliance has begun its invasion and captured most of the planet." Andros reported.

"Unfortunately, we're unable to help. This ship is no match for the Dark Fortress. Even with the detailed schematics that Karone provided us with, we can't seem to find a weakness on the outside. We've also been gathering intel. It seems that the alliance is planning to simultaneously conquer the galaxy."

"What?" Andros couldn't believe it. Such a plan seemed like an act of desperation, or impatience.

"The Machine Empire in invading Eltar as we speak. Rita and Zedd have already captured Vica. Divatox is still waiting for a battalion before she invades Gratha." Said the Admiral.

The fate of the galaxy seemed grim. Hope began to fade away.

"We've also received word that Quantrons have become active once again." Said the Admiral.

Andros immediately realized that the Quantron disruptor had been destroyed along with the ship. Andros had a look of defeat on his face, which Zhane noticed.

"Admiral, I think we've come to a point in the war where we have to act. I don't think the fleet can just travel in hyperspace forever. We need to fight back." Said Zhane.

"We can't hope to win against the Alliance." Said the Admiral.

"They know we exist. And we don't have to fight the entire Alliance at once." Said Zhane. He looked over at Andros who no longer had that look of defeat on his face, but now had a focused look.

The Admiral thought for a moment. "If we can destroy Divatox's ship, then we can disable the Piranhatrons." Said the Admiral.

"What do you mean, sir?" asked Andros.

"We have a spy in her fleet. They discovered that Divatox's ship has a transmitter which controls the Piranhatrons. If the transmitter is destroyed, then the Piranhatrons become deactivated. The same goes for the Quantrons. That's why the Quantron disruptor worked against the Quantrons in the first place." Said the Admiral.

"Sir, we have enough war ships to take on Divatox. We don't need to defeat the Alliance simultaneously. We just need to do enough damage to give the galaxy a fighting chance." Said Andros.

"I"ll discuss it with the fleet. Contact us again tomorrow." Said the Admiral.

"Yes, sir." Said Andros.

The Admiral ended the transmission. Andros and Zhane sat in the ship, in peace and silence.

"This is nice." Said Andros.

"The plan to wage war against a group of conquerors?" Zhane asked in a humorous tone.

Andros chuckled. "No. I mean this peace and quiet." He said with his head leaned back against his seat, with his eyes closed.

"Yeah, it is." Zhane agreed.

"I guess we should get back to base." Said Andros.

"Yeah. It was good while it lasted." Said Zhane before he fired up the engine.

"I hope we'll have some more peace and quiet in the future." Said Andros.

"I hope we'll be alive to enjoy the peace and quiet." Said Zhane.

* * *

A/N – Not a super exciting chapter, but, I needed to set things up. Now you guys know Ashley's going to be fine. Zeo rangers will have their chat with Andros next chapter, well, they'll continue their chat, I guess you could say. Oh yeah, I brought the rangers back together…with the exception of the vacant yellow.


	65. Mission

Ashley Hammond Astro Yellow – Thank you for reading. I'm really glad you like my story so far. Really, I'm glad that you like it.

* * *

Andros and Zhane landed away from the base. The clearest area was half a mile away from the base. It was dark out, and the moon was up, making hike back to base a half an hour long trip. They were greeted by the guards outside once they arrived at the base. Andros was tired from today; so was Zhane. Zel hurried over to speak to them.

"What did the Admiral say?" she asked.

"He gave us some intel and agreed to co-ordinate an attack against the Alliance." Answered Andros.

"That's great." Said Zel. "Should I gather everyone?"

"No. Let's discuss this tomorrow after everyone's rested." Said Andros.

"Sounds like a plan." Said Zhane before he headed off to the barracks.

"Where are the Zeo rangers?" asked Andros.

"They're sleeping." Answered Zel. "Should I wake them?"

"No. Let them be. Go get some sleep." Said Andros.

"I will. You sleep too." She said.

"I will."

* * *

Andros went to the Infirmary. He was tired, but he wanted to see Ashley before he slept. The chair next to her was empty so he took the seat. He held her left hand and watched her sleep. He felt worried about losing Ashley during the planned attack. He was worried that he may never get to see her again. The end was near. Andros didn't know if it was the end of the Alliance, or the end of the resistance, but he knew that one way or another, the war between good and evil was going to end soon. He dreamed of a life without the fighting, without the wars, just with her.

"I wish we could just be together in peace." Andros said quietly to Ashley. "I'm tired of all the fighting. I'm tired of watching friends die."

* * *

Morning came. Food was distributed to everyone in the cave, as well as water. The barracks were co-ed, and there was no wall or curtain to separate the men from the women. There weren't enough beds, either. They were made from the soft parts of the escape pods. Some people had to sleep on the cold, rocky surface.

Zel walked around the base. She went to see how the guards outside were doing, as well as the technicians, still trying to find a way to bypass the disruptor signal. Karone had tried to help, but the frequency of the signal had been changed after she changed sides.

Zel made her way to the Infirmary. She suspected that Andros would go to see Ashley, rather than go sleep. She was right. She saw Andros sleeping next to Ashley. He was in his seat, but his head was on the bed. His hand still held onto hers. She smiled lightly, and continued with her walk around the base.

* * *

Ashley woke up feeling much better, physically. Emotions still ran high for her, since she had been worrying about her family's safety. She looked around to see her surroundings and realized that she was still in the Infirmary in the new base. She turned left and saw Andros, sleeping. His right hand held onto her left hand while he slept. She immediately felt a little relieved.

"How are you feeling?" asked a female voice.

Ashley turned to see who it was and saw the doctor walking towards her.

"Much better." Ashley replied.

"That's good." The doctor scanned Ashley.

"Looks like you're back to normal. You're free to leave if you'd like." Said the doctor.

Ashley looked at Andros before turning back to the doctor. "I think I'll stay just a little longer." She said.

The doctor smiled. "No problem. He needs rest anyways." She said before walking away.

* * *

All the important people had been gathered to the command platform. Colonel Johnson and the power rangers, both Astro and Zeo, were present, as well as a couple of other Karovan officers. Ashley however, was not present since she was no longer a ranger. There were also one male Karovan officers. They stood around the middle view screen, forming a semi-circle.

"We've received word that the Alliance has begun a galaxy-wide campaign against all non-Alliance planets." Said Andros as he walked to the middle view screen.

"What? That's crazy." Said Carlos.

"We can't do anything until we free Earth, first." Said Adam.

"We can't even help Earth right now." Said Jason.

"If we can take out the Dark Fortress, we can-"

"How can we take out the Dark Fortress? That ship is invincible." Carlos interrupted.

"It's vulnerable from the inside." Said Karone.

"And how exactly do you propose we get in?" asked Adam.

"You're not going in. Karone, Zhane, and I are going in." said Andros.

"That's suicide." Said the Karovan officers.

"It's covert. The less people there are, the less chance of us getting caught." Said Zhane.

"How do you plan on getting in?" asked Colonel Johnson.

Andros pressed a few buttons on the console in front of the view screen. It displayed an image of Earth and the Dark Fortress, which was in orbit.

"Zel will fly the stealth ship into space. From there, we'll let inertia carry us towards the fortress. Once we've come close enough to the fortress, the three of us will morph and jettison ourselves from the ship, using inertia to carry us over to the fortress. We'll enter through the hangar bay and make our way to their power generator. During that time, the rest of you will rescue Angel Grove." Andros explained.

"What kind of fire power do we have?" asked the Colonel.

Andros looked to Zel.

"Enough blaster rifles to arm everyone in the base, as well as some explosives we made with spare parts." Answered Zel.

"But saving one city won't do us any good." Said Kat.

"If we can destroy the fortress, then we can deactivate the Quantrons. I've spoken with the Admiral of our fleet, and he's willing to attack Divatox's fleet. If her ship is destroyed, then the Piranhatrons will be deactivated as well. The real reason for rescuing the people in Angel Grove is to distract Darkonda. We want him to be focused on Angel Grove so that the infiltration team can get around the Fortress more easily." Explained Andros.

"You want to use us as a distraction?" asked Adam.

"Yes. You wanted to do something, so here's your chance." Said Andros. "Zhane and I did an aerial surveillance of Angel Grove."

Andros pressed some buttons on the console, which projected an aerial view of Angel Grove in its current state.

"We found two entry points with little security. You'll enter the city in two teams. All the pilots we have will steal velocifighters and provide aerial assistance. They'll probably send fighters from the rest of the planet, as well as from the Fortress, so be prepared. We'll also tag each fighter with an Electro-Magnetic marker that will show up on the fighter's radar so that the pilots don't shoot each other." Said Andros.

"As soon as I drop off Andros, Karone and Zhane, I'll join the ground forces. The rangers will lead the assault, and once we rescue the prisoners, Tanya, Kat, and a Colonel Johnson's group will lead them back to base. Angel Grove is going to turn into a war zone once we get in there, so we'll need to get those civilians to a safe place away from the fighting." Said Zel.

"One problem." Said Karone. Everyone looked at her. "The Dark Fortress has an ion cannon capable of destroying the civilian prison encampment. They can wipe out Angel Grove before we even free the prisoners."

"We need a distraction then." Said Zhane.

"What about the zords?" asked Carlos. Everyone looked at him. "You guys still have Zeozords, right?"

"Yeah, we do." Said Tommy.

"If they're capable of spaceflight, then we can use it to distract the Fortress, maybe divert the ion cannon away from the city." Said Andros.

"Adam and I can pilot the Zeo Mega Battlezord and Super Zeo Megazord and fight the Fortress in space, act as decoys." Said Tommy.

"Why not just use the zords to save the city?" asked Tanya.

"It's too dangerous to have zords there. You wouldn't want people accidentally being injured or killed by the zords. The same goes for the pilots. They could be hit by the zords. Besides, we need decoys to divert fire from the ion canon away from the city. This is an all or nothing battle, so we have to bring everything." Said Andros.

"When does all this take place?" asked Tommy.

"If the fleet agrees to help, we attack tomorrow." Said Andros.

* * *

"You wanted to speak to me?" asked Andros.

He was speaking with Ashley in a small, private area of the base, deeper into the cave.

"I wanted to ask if I can be a ranger again." Said Ashley.

"You want to help save your family." Said Andros.

"Yes. I heard from Carlos about the rescue plan, and I want to help."

Andros didn't have to think at all about making the decision to give the morpher back to Ashley. He couldn't say no to Ashley, and having a morpher would protect her as well. "Okay. I'll tell Zel to give you the morpher."

"Thanks." Said Ashley.

* * *

Andros stood before the Zeo rangers. Their previous conversation had been interrupted and they had finally gotten a chance to finish their conversation.

"I know you don't really like me." Said Andros. He spoke the first words, breaking the ice. "I understand how you feel, but we need to get past this if we're going to work together."

"You took a life. You killed a ranger, your own friend." Said Adam.

"Yes, I did. I didn't want to kill him, but I did. I can't do anything to change that." Said Andros.

"Rangers don't kill people." Said Jason.

"The aliens you've killed are people as well. They may not have been human, but they were still sentient beings." Said Andros. Those words made the rangers think about their own actions. They had also killed. Though it had been in the defense of the Earth, they killed.

Tommy knew that Andros was right. There was no denying it. "He's right." Said Tommy, admitting defeat. "We shouldn't be angry at Andros."

"I can't ask you to forgive me, but I need you guys to get past this, so that we can save this planet and the galaxy." Said Andros.

Tommy stepped closer to Andros and extended his hand, which Andros accepted.

"To a new beginning, and the future salvation of the Earth." Said Tommy.

* * *

Zhane and Andros were in space in the stealth ship, and were talking to the Admiral.

"We've made the necessary preparations. We're taking ten ships with us. We're all ready. How are things on your end?" asked the Admiral.

"We're making preparations for the attack." Andros reported.

"When will you be ready?" asked the Admiral.

"In a few hours. All we need to do is make explosives and E.M. markers." Answered Andros.

"Very well." Said the Admiral. "We attack in twelve hours."

* * *

A/N-Well, better than last chapter. Next chapter is gonna way better though, I promise. You're gonna see some action. Sorry I haven't updated in 2 weeks, but, at least it's here now. I was working on the next chapter, and I didn't want to post it, in case I wanted to change how the story goes, which happened to be the case. Trust me, it was for the better. I considered ending this chapter with a cliff hanger, but, then I would have had to take away a scene I wrote in the next chapter, so I made a compromise. No cliffy this chapter, and I get to keep my scene, plus add another scene. I was thinking about the rescue plan, and I thought, "what are you gonna do with a bunch of rescued people trapped on a planet that's conquered by aliens with a mothership in space than can blow you to bits?" So, I adapted the plan just a touch. Makes more sense. Plus it allows this fic to be similar to the show, yet maintain its own story. I'm working on the next chapter, which I think is probably going to be the 2nd or 3rd last chapter of this fic.

JLSF – The things I do for you. I had a lot of trouble thinking of how I can explain the zords, and then, I got some inspiration from Battlestar Galactica. Plus, I read that the zords were still intact. I couldn't think of a way to write off the zords. I couldn't just say that Darkonda destroyed the hangar, cause, he has to know where to look first, and uh…well, it just seems too convenient for him. So, I used em. Hope your happy, honestly. They actually came in handy. Without them, Darkonda would just wipe out Angel Grove at the first sign of trouble, but if the zords are there, then they are the immediate threat, and then the ion canon will be used against them, rather than the city, thus, no blown up city.


	66. Compromised

A/N- Merry Christmas. I'm not Santa, but I'm giving you guys a Christmas gift…it's called, chapter 66.

Harmonator - I tried to work the battlizer into this chapter, but, it didn't work out, and so, I left it out. sorry.

* * *

It was night, but not too late. Everyone was up and getting ready for the attack. Everyone was armed and assigned to assault groups. Thanks to the advanced medical technology, Colonel Johnson was well enough to join the rescue mission.

Andros stood next to Zel on the command platform. They could see everyone below.

"You should give a speech." Zel suggested.

"I'm not one for speeches." Said Andros.

"Don't you remember the Battle of Gero? Admiral Frevik gave a speech to a crowd of civilians and they were inspired enough to fight off the Derum army." Said Zel. "It's good for morale, and, well, morale isn't very good right now."

Andros exhaled. "Fine." He said, agreeing to give speech.

He walked up to the edge of the platform and looked down, towards the crowd, and the crowd looked at him.

Andros stood there, not knowing what to say. The people kept looking at him, hoping for words that would inspire them and give them hope.

"I'm not going to lie to you. This is a dangerous mission with a low chance of success. But that does not mean that our fates have been decided. That does not mean we will fail. Look around at the men and women standing here, around you. These are the people who will fight by your side and be remembered by the galaxy for as long as there is good in it, because they chose to fight, when all seemed to be lost. You will tell your children and your grandchildren of this day, when we rose up defeated the tyrants terrorizing the galaxy. Now let's win a war!"

The crowd cheered, and there was a renewed sense of hope.

"For someone who's not one for speeches, you gave a pretty good speech." Said Zel.

* * *

It was morning, and the attack was going to take place in four hours. Andros looked through the crowd and found Ashley. He took her hand and led her away to a private area, away from the others.

"Ashley, if I don't come back-"

Ashley interrupted Andros with a kiss. "You will come back." She said.

Andros wrapped his arms around her waist, and Ashley wrapped her arms around his neck. "Be careful out there." Said Andros.

"You too." Ashley replied.

"I hope you find your family." Said Andros

"And I hope you can finally meet them after all this is over." Said Ashley.

They stood in silence for a moment, in each other's arms, until Ashley spoke again.

"I love you." She said.

"I love you too." Andros replied.

"Come back to me." Ashley whispered.

"I promise."

Suddenly, the base alarm went off.

"What's going on?" Ashley asked as she broke away from Andros.

The cave rumbled. "We're under attack." Said Andros.

* * *

An army of Quantrons marched into the cave, shooting their weapons at anything that moved. People fell as they were hit by weapons' fire. The rebels fought back. They hid behind rocks for cover and fired back.

"Get out of here!" Zel ordered. She had just arrived with the other rangers, all morphed in their suits, and ready for battle.

"You heard the Commander!" Kalvados yelled as he led the soldiers deeper into the cave. Zel had prepared an escape route just in case. She had some of the officers create a web of tunnels that would lead out to the river, to be used as a backdoor exit in the event of an attack.

Andros saw the large group of rebels and stopped Kalvados. "What's going on?" asked Andros.

"We're under attack sir." Said Kalvados. Everyone else kept running towards the tunnels. "The rangers are covering our escape, but there are a lot of Quantrons coming, sir."

"Get everyone to safety. We'll hold off the Quantrons." Ordered Andros.

"Yes sir." Said Kalvados.

"Let's go." Andros said to Ashley before running off towards the entrance of the cave with Ashley right behind him.

* * *

"Fall back!" Zhane yelled, giving the order to retreat.

The rangers were being overwhelmed by the Quantrons.

"Grenade!" Karone warned.

A small black ball the size of a golf ball rolled towards the rangers. It hit a small rock and stopped moving, then exploded. The explosion caused the cave the rumbled. A few lime rock spikes from the ceiling fell. Two Quantrons were hit and destroyed by the spikes. The force of the blast knocked the rangers off their feet. None of them were close enough to be critically injured from the blast. The Quantrons continued to advance towards the rangers.

Andros and Ashley came running in, shooting their blasters.

"Go! Go! Go!" ordered Andros.

Ashley helped Tanya get up before falling back with the others. Andros, Zhane, and Tommy shot their blasters, covering the others' retreat.

They finally reached the entrance to the web of tunnels. Kalvados and a group of twelve soldiers were waiting for Andros.

"I thought I ordered you to get out." Said Andros.

"We were waiting for you, sir." Said Kalvados.

"Let's go!" said Andros.

"Go ahead, sir. We'll cover your escape." Said Kalvados.

"You're leaving, too. That's an order!" said Andros. Enough people had died. Andros didn't want Kalvados to die as well.

"Sir, we don't have time to argue! Go! We'll be right behind you!" said Kalvados.

Kalvados was right. There was no time to argue, and Andros knew that he wouldn't be able to convince Kalvados to obey his order. Andros followed the other rangers into the web of tunnels, hoping that he would see Kalvados again.

"Get in position!" Kalvados ordered. He and two of the twelve soldiers hid behind some crates that were placed by the entrance to the web of tunnels. One of the soldiers moved up to higher ground, in a little pocket of rock, ten feet above the ground, to the right of the tunnel entrance.

"Hold the line!" Kalvados yelled out his final order. He raised his weapon and aimed at the Quantrons coming towards them, and fired.

The rest of his team fired as well. The Quantrons fell one by one, but they still came like a storm. Some of the Quantrons in the back began to fire at the soldiers.

One by one, the Quantrons shot down the members of Kalvados's team, until finally, it was just him and five others.

One of the five soldiers was Curz. He was positioned in a pocket of rock, above the rest. The Quantrons aimed and shot at him. They blew away at the pocket of rock until they weakened its structural integrity, causing it to break up and drop Curz to the ground.

"Curz!" Kalvados called out. He looked to see if Curz was still alive or not. Kalvados saw Curz barely move his arm.

"Cover me!" Kalvados ordered right before running towards Curz. He grabbed Curz by the collar of his uniform and dragged him back towards the crates, but as Kalvados dragged Curz back behind the crates, a Quantron fired at Kalvados, hitting him in the lower abdomen.

"Sir!" one of the soldiers cried out. He reached over, grabbed Kalvados and dragged him back. Kalvados had only been an arm's length away from the crates. He inspected the wound. It was bad. Kalvados was bleeding out.

"Ka'tor." Said Kalvados.

"Yes, sir."

"You lead these guys out to the river. As soon as you leave, I'm going to count to twenty and then I'm going to toss a grenade into the tunnels, causing a cave in of the tunnels. We can't let the resistance be found again. We must complete the mission." Said Kalvados.

"But sir, what about you?"

"Today is my day to die." Said Kalvados. "Now go!"

Kalvados and his team had held the line for a good ten minutes. It was enough time for everyone else to escape into the river.

"Retreat!" Ka'tor

The three other remaining soldiers complied and headed for the tunnel, while continuing to fire at the Quantrons.

"Goodbye, sir." Said Ka'tor as he headed into the tunnel, right behind the others.

"One, two…" Kalvados began to count. He could hear the Quantrons rushing towards his position.

When the count reached twenty, Kalvados pulled out a grenade and tossed it into the tunnels. The explosion caused a cave-in within the tunnel network, preventing the Quantrons from following the resistance into the river.

Kalvados reached into his side pocket and pulled out a detonator. The base had been rigged to explode.

Kalvados ignored the pain as he stood up to face his enemies. He raised the detonator.

"I'll see you soon, Zarine." He said before pushing the button, activating the explosives within the base, killing himself and all the Quantrons within the base.

* * *

The rebels were standing along the river, waiting for Kalvados and his team. He heard some noise coming from the tunnels. Three men emerged from the tunnel.

"Where's Kalvados?" asked Andros.

The ground shook, knocking a few people off their feet.

"He's gone, sir." Ka'tor reported. He lowered his head in mourning of his commanding officer.

Andros also took a moment to mourn the loss of another Karovan before regaining his composure.

"Let's move out! We can't stay here or else we'll be detected." Ordered Andros.

* * *

The rebels had been on the run for an hour, away from both the city, as well as their former base of operations. They had to get away from the area, and the path to Angel Grove was too dangerous.

The rebels decided to take a break. They also needed time to rethink their strategy, and see how many people they had lost.

"Okay, I did a head count, and, it's not good. We lost almost seventy people." Zel reported.

The attack group had now been reduced to a hundred and three soldiers, including the Earth soldiers.

"That's almost half of the ground assault team." Said Zhane.

"How many pilots do we have?" asked Andros.

"Twenty." Answered Zel.

"You still want to go through with the attack?" asked Zhane.

"We don't have a choice. This is our only chance." Said Andros.

"I think we need another inspiring speech." Said Zel.

Everyone gathered around Andros for instructions. They didn't know what to do. They had just lost their base, and many of their friends. The little hope of victory they had was almost gone.

"I know you're scared." Said Andros as he looked around, at everyone.

"I know, you don't think we can win, but we can win. They destroyed our home, our ship, and our base, but they still could not eliminate us. If we give up now, we lose, and we die. But if fight, we can save those who are suffering under Darkonda's rule. Your dreams of peace can come true. Just fight for it. Now who's with me?!"

The crowd roared in support. Once again, their spirits were revitalized. They had a relit fire in their hearts, and they were ready to fight.

* * *

Zel sat in the pilot's seat of the stealth ship. She saw the Dark Fortress ahead of her.

"Are you ready?" she asked over the com.

"Ready." Andros replied through the com. The rear compartment had been closed so that Zel would not be sucked into the vacuum of space. Andros and Karone morphed into their ranger suits.

"I still think you should have taken Zhane along." Said Zel.

"There aren't enough people in the assault group. You guys will need Zhane down there." Said Andros. Zhane being part of the ground assault team was the only change in the original plan.

Andros and Karone wrapped their waist with a tether.

"Depressurizing the rear compartment." Said Zel. Zel waited for the screen on her console to tell her when the compartment was fully depressurized.

"Opening the door." The door opened slowly. It was split horizontally from the middle. The top half moved up, and the bottom half moved down.

"Twenty Meters from the Fortress. You're cleared to launch." Said Zel.

"Affirmative." Andros replied.

"Good luck."

* * *

A/N – I'm expecting you guys to like this chapter, since you liked the last two chapters. Personally, I like this chapter. It's not my favorite, but I still found it to be enjoyable. Now that I mention it, which chapter would you say has been your favorite?

My original plan was to have the previous chapter end with an attack on the base, but then, I had already written the speech scene, and I didn't want to lose it, so I changed the speech time to night, and the attack to morning.

For that Ashley/Andros scene, I was going to have Ashley say that she forgives Andros for killing TJ, but then, I thought it would be a mood killer, so I didn't add it in.

My intention with the attack was to take away what little sense of hope they had, but then, I had already kicked the rebels around enough, and I thought that it might have been overkill, but then, for some reason, here it is, written.

The scene with Kalvados sacrificing himself reminds me a lot of a scene from Starship Troopers. Maybe that's where I got the idea. Who knows. All I know is, Karone and Andros and on a suicide mission, and Zhane is on Earth, leading the rangers, just like the show *wink wink*


End file.
